Project G
by taitofan
Summary: Three coordinators and three hybrids need to stop an evil organization... Can they save the world and figure out their own relationships at the same time? Latest chapter: Fifteen.
1. Prologue

Project G

by Taitofan

Rated PG-13 for eventual yaoi, polygamy, unrequited love, and language

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I'm writing fanfiction for God's sake...

Authors Note: I know what you're thinking: another one-shot. But you'd be wrong! Nope, this is my first chapter fic _ever _in my five plus years of writing fanfiction. So you'll have to let me get into the swing of things... I'll try not to rush... And I'll try to give a nice happy medium between how long chapters are and how long it takes for me to post them. Until September, I should update pretty fast, but I can make no guarantees once college starts up... Keep in mind that I'm writing this for Jillian14 at the Serebii forums. She couldn't write this, so she gave me her ideas and I'm writing it instead. So some ideas are hers, some are mine, some are both... Mostly, I take her ideas and mutate them. _smile_ But still, feel free to give input into the story. I'll take suggestions from anyone. Oh, and be brutal. Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong. Especially if the new characters seem too Mary Sueish or anything (there should be four total, all of which you "meet" in the prologue)... If that happens, shoot me, I beg of you. At least there will be no new character-romance...

Extra note: This will be the only big note like this. In the next chapters, expect to get right into the story. Yes, this prologue is very vague, but please give it a chance! For my comments, please check out this story at the Serebii forums in the Shipping Fics section.

Flames do nothing but make me laugh, although I'll listen to any CC you have. Please read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

**Project G—Prologue (8-7-05)**

July 24:

—not making much progress. Project G seems to be a failure.

July 26:

—been given one more day to show progress, or the funding will be cut, and we'll be forced—

August 7:

Our funding might have been cut, but we won't stop until Project G is completed. The Boss says we'll just have to find other ways to get the money. I'm not sure how—

August 9:

I don't like this, but it has to be done. The boss says it's the only way—

August 16:

—amazing break through! It's only a matter of time—

August 18:

—test subject died today. No one is sure why…

August 27:

The newest test subject seems to be stabilizing. Within a few days we should know if she'll survive or not. If so, we—

September 5:

—lived. After almost a year of research, Project G seems to be a success! The test subject is in excellent condition—

September 6:

—very temperamental. But since the project is only in the beta stages, no one is worried. She'll snap out of it.

* * *

"Where is she?" 

"How should I know? Oh man, look at my notes! They're torn to shreds! What'll the boss think?"

"He'll be pissed, that's for sure. Not that your notes were very valuable. They read more like a diary than a scientific journal…"

"Well excuse me! Besides, I meant the test subject; we have to find her before she tells anyone what we're doing."

"Damn it, she could be anywhere— Wait a minute, where's Project G?"

"She was wearing—"

"Not that one you idiot! The other two!"

"Shut up! Yelling at me won't solve anything! She must have taken them…"

"Great, just great, what are we going to do?"

"_I'll tell you what you're going to do_."

"Boss!"

"_You fools are going to go out there and find her. And don't come back until both she and Project G have been apprehended. Failure will result in **severe** punishment. Do you understand_?"

"Yes boss!"

"We'll get right on it, we just—"

"_No, you will go now. We have no time to waste. If she gets to anyone before we find her, all of our plans will be ruined_…"

* * *

In the dead of the night, a girl ran for her life. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Project G—Chapter one (8-9-05)**

A girl walked tiredly down an unknown street in a town she'd never even _heard_ of before. This was certainly getting tiring… Just walking, and walking, and for good measure, walking some more… And she swore, if she heard one more comment about her looks—

"Daddy, why does that funny girl have ears and a tail?"

'_He's just a little kid, don't bite him_… _He doesn't know any better_…'

"She's just one of those crazy cosplayers son. Don't pay any attention to people like her. And remember, if anyone like that ever tries to give you candy…"

'_But he has no excuse_!'

Just as she was about to pounce, a peculiar sound in the distance caught her attention. It wasn't them, was it? No, she'd lost them a long time ago; there was no way they could have caught up with her yet. And as much as she hated clichés, curiosity was getting the better of her—and probably going to kill the cat in her.

'_It'll be okay. As long as **they** aren't here, everything will be fine… I just need to find help before that happens_.'

* * *

Harley was pissed. Not upset, not mad, but one-hundred percent pissed-off. Haruka had beaten him in a contest… Again. He'd never had any problems winning before the younger girl had come along, and he knew that somehow it was all her fault. It just _had_ to be! And to rub salt in the wound, _she hadn't even won_. Nor had she stayed around long enough for him to tell her off. No, the only ones left were—

"Are you alright Harley?"

Robert. And Shuu. Both males had also been in the contest. It had been almost a parallel of the Grand Festival, Harley realized. Harley had lost to Haruka. Shuu had lost to Robert. The only big difference had been that _Haruka_ had lost to Robert in the last round.

Now, Harley had no problems with Robert. No, the man was intelligent, kind, and handsome. Plus, he had never insulted Harley's pokémon… Or his cookies. But that didn't mean that Harley was happy to lose against him. And Shuu! Who did that boy think he was, seeing through Harley's schemes and flirting with Kamo-chan all the while? It was enough to make him sick!

"I'm _fine_," he growled out, clenching his fists. All he wanted to do was to be left alone so he could plot his revenge in private. He didn't need people around offering fake sympathy…

"Are you mad at Haruka? You _really_ need to get over it. Who's the adult here anyways?"

..And he certainly didn't need punk kids telling him what to be and being generally snarky.

"Shut up! What do you know anyway? All you do is flirt with her! When was the last time she insulted your pokémon, huh?" Shuu raised an eyebrow at Harley's outburst, but quickly recovered and gave the older coordinator a haughty grin.

"Never. But then again, I have extremely elegant pokémon. Yours on the other hand, scare even the judges." Those words caused Harley to see red. No one insulted his buddies and got away with it! _No one_!

"That's it!" he yelled, charging at Shuu, who still had a smug grin on his face. "Let's see how many fan girls you have after I'm done with you!"

Robert quickly moved to restrain Harley, not pleased with either male. Shuu shouldn't have said those things, as no one's pokémon deserve to be insulted. However, Harley _was_ the older of the two, and should have controlled his temper when he was obviously being goaded.

'_Honestly_,' he thought to himself, '_can't these two just get along_?'

As the struggle continued, the three coordinators were completely unaware that they were being watched…

* * *

'_Those guys are strange_…' the girl mused. '_But they **are** pokémon trainers… And I have no time to lose. Who knows when those bumbling fools might actually do something **right** for once and find me_?'

She watched the one with the purple hair try to kick his way out of the blond's arms, but it was no use. The shortest of them all started to laugh, and the blond gave him a look that promised he'd let go if the laughter didn't cease immediately. Needless to say, that did the trick.

'_Yes_,' she nodded to herself, ignoring the little girl who walked by and told her mother she wanted to "be a kitty girl too" when she grew up. '_They'll have to do. I don't have time to find anyone else. …I just hope they won't kill each other_…'

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from the corner she'd been hiding behind and walked closer.

* * *

"…Are you sure this is the right place? Shouldn't we be in a city or something?" The man sighed, glaring at his companion.

"Of course I'm sure! Those kids said they saw a girl with cat ears and a tail go _north_. And since you have the compass, you should know very well that we have indeed been going _north_. Thus, this has to be the place" The woman giggled nervously, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, did they say north? I thought they said _south_! Well, isn't that funny! …Why are you looking at me like that? Hey wait, not the face!" As the woman ran for her life, she thought one thing…

'_At least this explains why we're in the middle of a dump instead of the city_…'

* * *

Harley was almost out of Robert's grasp. He was so close he could taste it... And as soon as he was free, cute or not, Shuu was going _down_. Six feet under. And there was nothing anyone could do about it. He'd get that little brat if it was the last thing—

"Hey there!" The sudden new voice stopped the three coordinators in their tracks. Shuu and Robert stopped what they were doing, turning toward the source of the voice. Harley, who'd been held up by Robert, crashed face first into the ground when the blond's hold went slack. He landed with an "Oof!" and got a mouthful of dirt in the process. Lifting himself up and spitting out the soil, he glared up at the girl who had interrupted them.

"What do you want?" The girl's eyes widened for a moment as she noticed what he was wearing.

'_Could he be…? No, he's just dressed that way. Amazing! He must really love his pokémon to dress like it. I guess I'm making the right decision after all_.' Her mind being made up, she smiled at the males, flashing her sharp teeth in the process.

"I need your help," she said bluntly. "There are some people after me that I can't let catch me. But," she glanced to the side nervously, as if afraid those very people would pop up at any moment, "I can't tell you here. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

Robert looked at the girl carefully. There was something about here that seemed rather odd. Other than the fact that she was dressed as a Nyasu of course. '_It seems that Harley isn't the only fanatic out there_…' But regardless, it _did_ seem that she was sincere about being in trouble. And if someone was in trouble, especially a girl who didn't look like she could be anymore than in her mid-teens, he had to help.

"There's a café down the street," he told her, smiling kindly. "We can talk there. Will you two be joining us?"

Shuu thought the girl looked rather suspicious, but if she really _was_ in trouble, and he did nothing to help her… Well, that just wouldn't sit well with his conscience. The least he could do was go with Robert and listen to her story. He could decide then if she was honest or not.

"All right," he said nonchalantly, shrugging. "But you'd better not be lying…"

Harley slowly got to his feet, wiping the dirt from his pants. It was this girl's fault that he was dirty. Why should he help such a rude person? Even if she _was_ the only other person he'd ever seen dressed as a pokémon, what with those ears, tail, and choker necklace that resembled a Nyasu to a tee, he wouldn't waste his time—

"Though I'm sure _he_ won't even bother."

Shuu's words burned in Harley's ears. How dare he! That brat was going to get his just desserts one day, and Harley couldn't wait to see it. But until then, the least he could do was prove the little monstrosity wrong…

"Of course I'll help you!" he cooed, putting on the same happy face he'd used with Haruka the first few times he'd seen her. "I'd be delighted to!" Shuu snorted at the obvious lie, but Harley managed to keep his anger in check this time. Oh yes, he'd show him…

"Great!" the girl exclaimed happily, pumping her fist in the air, oblivious to the hostility going on between the two coordinators. "Let's go, I'm starving!"

Ignoring the sweat drops of her new companions, she let Robert lead the way to the café, thinking gleefully about all of the yummy food she'd be able to eat.

* * *

"So," Robert clarified, "your name is Luna?" The brunette looked up from her third piece of cherry pie, smiling at the nice man she'd come to instantly like.

"Yep," she confirmed, nodding. "That's my name—Luna. I'm personally am very fond of it. Those idiots back in the lab never could get it right though… It was always Lina or Lona or something pathetic like that. I even told them, 'Hey, it's Luna. Get it right!' But they never did listen…" Shuu gave her a suspicious look, not sure if he bought her story or not.

"So, those idiots, you say their called the Darks?" Luna nodded again, taking another bite of her pie. "And you stole their Project P?"

"No," she sighed after swallowing her food, "it's Project G. And I didn't _steal_ it… Okay, so maybe I did, but I had to! They're completely crazy! Always going on about bringing the darkness to the world…" Her brown eyes darkened, reflecting her contempt of the memories she had of her past. "It's a good thing they were dumb enough to talk about their plan in front of me. If they hadn't, I'd never have known what they were up to…"

Robert and Shuu shared a look, silently sizing up how the other felt about Luna's story. A group of just three people called something as clichéd as "the Darks" trying to take over the world using just pokémon and the mysterious "Project G" seemed rather dubious, but then again, she did appear to be upset when she talked about them…

"Alright," Robert announced, "Shuu and I at least will help you. But if I may ask, why do you want our help? Why not go to the proper authorities?" Luna sighed again, pushing away her plate and leaning her elbows on the table.

"They'd never believe me," she confessed. "_I_ wouldn't even believe me. I'm surprised _you_ believe me. Besides, I needed strong pokémon trainers like you. The Darks use their own pokémon, and as the saying goes, 'you have to fight fire with fire,' right?"

Robert nodded, not bothering to correct her. Though they were technically coordinators, they also trained their pokémon in the art of battling. They might not be the strongest around, but the three of them plus whatever pokémon Luna had would surely be enough to do the job. That was, so long as it really was the _three_ of them.

"You will be joining us, won't you Harley?" Said coordinator stopped staring at the salt shaker and looked up at the others. He actually _had_ been listening to her, though he'd originally planned to help her regardless of what she had to say, just to spite Shuu. Oddly enough, he actually found himself _wanting_ to help. Perhaps it was because there were pokémon in trouble, and he'd always liked pokémon more then people. Somehow though, Luna seemed different from other people. It was almost like she wasn't a person at all…

But that was crazy. Wasn't it?

"Of course I'll help," he finally agreed, putting back on his smile, although it wasn't _quite_ as fake as it had been before. "I can't sit around while pokémon are being hurt. Besides, how could I say no to a trainer who was so devoted to her pokémon?" Luna blinked in confusion at that.

"What do you mean?" Harley was just as perplexed as she was. What was _she_ talking about?

"You know, your love for your pokémon. You _are_ dressed as a Nyasu after all…" Luna's confusion instantly melted away to amusement.

"You mean… You all thought I was dressed this way because I train Nyasu?" At the three identical nods, she began to laugh in pure delight. "Oh man, you guys are funny! Really, why would I need pokémon trainers if I was allowed to own pokémon myself?" The only response she received consisted of blank stares. "Come on, pokémon can't own pokémon, now can they?"

That question certainly got her a response.

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you crazy?"

"That's impossible!"

Luna waited patiently for the males to calm down, letting them get this out of their systems now rather than later. She idly wished that she had more pie. After eating nothing but berries in the few weeks since she'd escaped, the pie seemed like ambrosia. She continued her daydreaming until she finally heard a semi-composed question.

"Can you prove that what you say is true?" Not surprisingly, that had come from Robert. Smirking at the disbelieving looks on their faces, she nodded.

"Sure can, but not in here. We need to go outside… So, who's paying?" Eager to get outside and see if this girl really was a Nyasu or if she was just crazy, Harley threw some money down on the table. Maybe his instincts weren't as out of tune as he'd thought… Or maybe those "Darks" were just workers at the mental institution trying to get their escaped patient back. Either way, he was dying to know.

"Hurry up," he urged, ushering the others out of the restaurant as quickly as possible. Luna, still in a state of mirth, allowed herself to be pushed out the door, around the corner, and down an alley way. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces once she was done with them…

"Okay," Harley said impatiently once it was clear that the four of them were alone, "show us." Luna grinned, her teeth shining even in the darkness of the alley.

"You've got it. But first," she looked between the three coordinators, "I'll need to see something…" Her gaze eventually landed on Harley. "If you want to see my proof so badly, then let me see your pokémon…"


	3. Chapter 2

**Project G—Chapter two (8-15-05)**

"Have they found her yet big sister?" Two pairs of blue eyes shone in the dark room.

"No, not yet. And knowing those two imbeciles, it will still be a while until they do. She's probably going to find help far before they even get on her trail…" The smaller of the two girls' eyes widened.

"But big sister, why doesn't Boss sir send you instead? You could find her, I know you could!" The older girl smirked, her face completely devoid of the slightest trace of humor.

"Of course I could. But the boss likes them for some reason… _We_ won't be called in until they screw up beyond repair. Until then little sister, we'll just have to wait. Don't worry though, our time will come…" With a serene smile, the younger of the two nodded, curling up to her sister's side to wait until they were summoned.

* * *

Harley just stared at Luna as if she'd sprouted three heads.

"Why do you need _my_ pokémon? How do I know you're not going to steal them?" Luna rolled her eyes.

"Just send them out already and quit complaining, will you? You want proof and this is the easiest way to get it. Trust me on this, okay?" Harley still looked upset, but he really wanted to know… And thus, he took out his two pokéballs and released them.

Luna smiled as the two pokémon materialized before her eyes. A Noctus… Why didn't that surprise her? And a Jupetta too! That was certainly interesting. Plus, he only had two pokémon, which was the perfect amount…

Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan blinked up at the strange girl in front of them. There was something a bit off about her… Why did she look like a human when their instincts were shouting "Nyasu!"? They looked at each other, then up at their sulking master. He offered no explanation as to why they had been called out, so they stood quietly, waiting for an order.

Robert and Shuu watched curiously as Luna regarded the pokémon, the pokémon stood patiently with no idea as to what was going on, and Harley pouted. After a short while, Luna nodded her head and pulled a necklace out from her shirt. Unlike her choker, which looked like a typical Nyasu coin, this necklace looked more like a miniature orb. It appeared to be made from glass, as the transparency of the substance allowed them to see inside… Where there was some sort of bluish-purple gas swirling around. It was unlike anything they'd ever seen…

Then Luna pulled out two more from the pocket of her skirt. They were exactly the same as the one she wore, and it was now apparent that the orb was held by a thick, yet translucent cord. Whoever had made it obviously wanted the wearer to be able to conceal its presence…

"Are these…?" Shuu trailed off, his attention now solely on the spheres that Luna held. She nodded again, knowing what he was thinking.

"Yep, these are Project G. There were only three made. The Darks gave one to me and locked the other two up." She smiled as she extended a fingernail until it resembled a feline's claw. "Luckily, I'm quite good at picking locks."

Robert thought that that little stunt was quite enough proof that she wasn't human, but he supposed that she could be tricking them somehow… Maybe those necklaces just gave humans pokémon-like powers? He stood quietly as she continued.

"When I ran away, I took the other two so they couldn't use them on other pokémon and track me down that way." She twirled the two cords on her finger, looking thoughtful. "You know, these are just the final project. The beta versions… Well, I heard they didn't work very well. Back when they caught me for the experiment, they got some other pokémon too. A Nyula, an Enekororo, an Eneko… The Enekororo and Eneko went first… I'm not sure what happened to them… Then went the Nyula…" She closed her eyes and sighed sadly, ceasing her earlier twirling motions.

"He didn't make it… I don't think the other two did either… Or any of the others before that. I was the first pokémon to be tested with a working version. Once they had it, they made two more. They were going to test them on new pokémon the day after I left. I just… I couldn't stay. They wouldn't have been happy with their results, I just know it! They would have kept experimenting, and—" She cut off abruptly, shaking her head as if to clear her mind of the memories.

"Anyways, the point is that these are Project G. They work, they're safe, and they're gonna prove once and for all that I'm telling the truth." Ignoring the varying degrees of disbelief and grief on the coordinator's faces, she looked down at Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan. "Ready guys?"

* * *

"Man, now where are we?" The man scowled at his companion.

"Shut up." She blinked.

"But—" His scowl deepened and there was a hint of a growl in his voice.

"**_Just shut up_**." She did as she was told… For a few minutes at least.

"…It kinda looks like the desert… I thought you said we were finally going north?" Silence reigned for the next few minutes before the only sound to be heard was a woman screaming for her life to be spared.

* * *

"Wait a minute!" Harley cried, throwing himself between Luna and his precious pokémon. "What do you think you're doing to my buddies!" Luna cocked an eyebrow in a disbelieving manner.

"Oh come on," she groaned, "don't tell me I have to repeat myself! I'm gonna put these on your pokémon to prove I'm not lying. It's a lot easier this way than for me to take mine off, you know? Besides, this way I won't lose them." Shuu stepped forward, looking incredulous.

"Why do you want to use _his_ pokémon? Why not mine?" A glance from Robert made him add, "Or Robert's…" Luna's face beamed.

"You mean you believe me then?" Shuu flushed slightly, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Well, I meant it hypothetically…" Her grin didn't fade in the least as she answered.

"Harley's pokémon seemed to be the best choice. I'm not really sure why though…" She trailed off as Robert and Shuu sweat dropped. "Anyways… Are you okay with this Harley?"

Harley didn't really even have to think about it. If she was really telling the truth, then not only would he make Shuu jealous, but he'd get to see his buddies as humans. And if she was lying… Well, then it wouldn't be a problem, would it?

"Alright," he consented, stepping out from between Luna and his pokémon. He looked at Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan. "Good luck guys… You'll be okay, I promise…"

"Don't worry," she assured, kneeling down in front of the two curious pokémon, "they'll be perfectly fine…"

* * *

He knew very well that his main subordinates were completely incompetent. He also knew that his other soldiers would have been a better choice. Though young, they knew how to finish a job _and_ they had the advantage of the escaped prisoner not knowing who they were. But he allowed the fools to have their fun. They had been intelligent enough to create Project G… Unfortunately, they should never have been allowed to step out of the laboratory.

The boss's lip curved up in a half-smile. He had plenty of time; there was no rush. Sooner or later, she'd be back. And when she was… Everything would be ready.

* * *

Three sets of eyes watched as Luna placed the necklaces around the two pokémon's throats. Two of the sets of eyes watched the scene in curiosity. If this worked, it would prove once and for all that Luna had been telling the truth. And that would mean they'd be in for one hell of an adventure... The other pair of eyes watched with apprehension. What if something went wrong? His poor pokémon! He couldn't stand the thought of either of them getting hurt! But something deep down inside told him to believe her… He decided that he'd listen this time and pray to whichever deity existed that they'd be okay…

As soon as Luna had finished latching the fastener around Jupetta-chan's neck, she stepped back, and…

Nothing happened.

"What's the big idea?" Harley questioned angrily, thinking that this was all some big joke. "You'd better—" The irate coordinator was cut off by a brilliant flash of white light that filled the entire alley way. The four humans had to shield their eyes from its intensity, lest they be blinded. For almost half a minute the brightness shone, only to fade away just as quickly as it had come.

And in its wake, it left two human boys.

"What the hell is going on?" One of them demanded. "Where are we? Somebody answer me damn it!" The shorter of the newcomers looked around curiously, not saying a word. His eyes scanned from Luna, to Robert, to Shuu, and finally rested on…

"Harley-sama!" he cried, running over to the shocked man, leaving his companion to watch. "Look, look! I'm just like you!" He giggled, twirling around to show off his black and yellow outfit.

"Ju-jupetta-chan?" Harley gasped, not quite believing his eyes. "Is that you?" The newly humanized Jupetta-chan nodded cheerfully, his red eyes shining.

"Yep, sure is! And look!" he ran back over to the other male who was dressed almost exactly like Harley, the biggest difference being his exposed midriff. "Noctus-chan is human too! Isn't that cool?" Noctus-chan sighed, patting Jupetta-chan's head.

"He knows who we are," the former pokémon explained patiently before turning to the others, "but I still want to know _why_ we're like this."

* * *

After a few minutes of explaining what he knew, with Luna filling in the gaps, Harley filled his pokémon in on what was happening. Of course, it took longer than it should have, since Harley kept losing his concentration when he looked at his pokémon… Or, former pokémon… He didn't even know what to call them anymore!

"So these turned us into humans?" Noctus-chan questioned, fingering the tiny orb around his neck. Luna nodded, causing Jupetta-chan to laugh.

"Mou, that's so cool! I like being a human! Now I can talk to Harley-sama and he can understand me!" He bounded back to his trainer, latching onto his arm. "Isn't that cool Noctus-chan?" Noctus-chan gave a non-committal grunt, his eyes narrowing ever-so slightly at his owner, who was blushing at the close contact.

"Whatever." Jupetta-chan took no notice of his friend's annoyance, hugging Harley's arm even tighter. Noctus-chan forced himself to turn his attention to Luna. "So you're telling me that some crazy people are trying to take over the world using these _things_ that turn pokémon into humans, and you want us to help you. Am I right?" Luna nodded, spreading out her arms to gesture to the others around her.

"That's right! With three pokémon trainers and three pokémon-turned-humans, plus the pokémon Robert and Shuu have, we'll have them outnumbered. They'll stand no chance against all of us. …And I'll get to help save the world! It'll be awesome!" Noctus-chan sighed heavily, glancing over at Shuu and Robert.

"And you're going along with this outrageous idea?" he asked wearily, running a hand through his lavender hair. The two coordinators gave their agreement, still amazed that the teenage boy in front of them had been a pokémon just minutes ago. Luna wasn't crazy after all, but obviously, a certain group of people _were_…

"We have to help," Robert explained, unable to take his eyes off the male before him. The feat was so incredible… It was too bad that malevolent people had made such an invention instead of those with more positive intentions though. "Pokémon are in danger of being hurt if we don't stop these people. I for one can't allow for that to happen."

"Neither can I," Shuu agreed, taking an equal interest in the boy before him. "Of course, you don't _have_ to help… But it looks like _he_ wants to." The "he" Shuu was referring to was Jupetta-chan. And judging by the way the younger boy was acting—simply ecstatic to be a human—Noctus-chan had to agree. And wherever Jupetta-chan went, _he_ went.

"I'm going to help you," Noctus-chan informed him, not seeming too happy with his decision, but unwilling to say otherwise. "But perhaps kitty-cat over here should tell us _exactly_ what we have to do before we go and make any life altering choices…"

Well, that was certainly a good point. Five heads turned to her, all looking rather curious. It undoubtedly would be helpful if they knew what was expected of them… Luna noticed the stares she was receiving and blushed slightly, giggling in an embarrassed manner.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that, didn't I?" Five identical nods were all the answer she needed. "Heh, then I suppose I should tell you what I know, huh?" Again, five nods gave her answer. "Okay, well, when I was being held in their hideout, I heard them talking about these two orbs. The Ice Orb and the Fire Orb. The Ice Orb is found in the northern most area of Hoenn, while the Fire Orb is found in the southern most area of Hoenn. Both are in caves and are protected by pokémon guardians. The end. Now let's—"

"Wait a minute!" Shuu yelled, cutting the girl off. "That's it? You just know they're in caves in the north and south? How are we supposed to find these things if we don't know where they are? And do you even know what we need to do with them _if_ we find them?" Luna frowned at Shuu's angry tone.

"Well _excuse_ me oh great one," she replied sarcastically, "but I don't have all of the answers. All they said was that they'd heard their boss saying that those orbs were the only thing that could stop them. So no, I don't know how to use them, but those lackeys don't know anything more than we do. We'll just have to had north and start looking. Besides, we have six people, and they only have two. So let's stop wasting time and get going already!"

Shuu opened his mouth to retort, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Robert giving him a look that clearly advised him to drop the argument. He quickly shut his mouth, remembering that this girl was still had pokémon-like features and didn't seem afraid to use her fangs or claws to get her way.

"You're right," Robert told her, quite proud of Shuu for keeping quiet. "The faster we set off, the sooner we'll reach our destination. Are there any objections?" Silence was all there was to be heard. "Good. Then we should set out as soon as possible."

"I do have a question though…" Everyone turned to face Harley, who hadn't spoken since Jupetta-chan had attached himself to the coordinator. "If we're going to be walking to only God knows where, what are we going to eat?"

Another _very_ good question.

"The forests have plenty of berries," she explained matter-of-factly. "There'll be more than enough for all of us." Ignoring the grimaces coming from the three coordinators, she turned to face the opening of the alley. "Well, now that we're all agreed, let's get out there and save the world!"

Wondering what they'd gotten themselves into, with the exception of Luna and Jupetta-chan, who seemed particularly excited, the ragtag group exited the alley to start their journey. They had a world to save…

Even if they had no idea how they'd do it.


	4. Chapter 3

**Project G—Chapter three (8-21-05)**

They'd stopped momentarily to pick up a few supplies, as everyone agreed that living off berries didn't sound like much fun. By the mid-afternoon they all had a backpack with the essentials, and they left the city. Their journey had finally begun, and everything was going perfectly fine…

"Ouch! Will you stop that you idiot!"

…For the first ten minutes at least. They'd barely even made it out of the city before the tension from earlier in the day was back in full swing. And of course, it was the same two people responsible as from before…

"Well, if you'd walk faster, I wouldn't keep bumping into you!"

"If _you'd_ slow down just a little, you wouldn't—"

"Calm down!" Robert shouted over Harley and Shuu's bickering. "How are we supposed to do our job if you two won't stop fighting long enough to get anything done?" Shuu sneered at Harley, ignoring the blond.

"If you didn't have that _thing_ hanging off your arm, you could walk faster!" Harley was about to snap at him that Jupetta-chan wasn't a "thing," and that Shuu was just jealous because Luna hadn't picked _his_ pokémon instead, but he never got the chance… Because at that moment, Shuu was being lifted a foot off the ground by the front of his shirt.

"Shut your yap," Noctus-chan growled, contempt shining clearly in his yellow eyes. "If you _ever_ talk about Jupetta-chan that way again, I'll personally see to it that you're never able to father children. Do you understand?" Shuu nodded vigorously, not daring to anger the irate male any further. Somehow, he didn't think that was an empty threat… He may be stubborn, but he wasn't stupid.

Taking the fear in the young coordinator's eyes as a good sign that there were absolutely _no_ doubts, Noctus-chan released Shuu, letting him fall to the ground with a loud thump. Robert quickly rushed over to help the boy up, as Luna and Harley watched silently with wide eyes. Harley was torn between feeling afraid and proud. In the end, he settled for a bit of both. He'd just have to make sure he'd never insult Jupetta-chan… Not that he ever would of course. Oh no, that was Meno-chan's forte…

'_Interesting_,' Luna thought as Robert checked to make sure that Shuu hadn't hurt anything during his tumble, '_I haven't seen anyone act like that since Papa would keep the other males away from Mama… I wonder…_' Her thoughts trailed off as the sound of giggling broke through the silence.

"You're so silly Noctus-chan!" Jupetta-chan squealed, nuzzling his head on Harley's arm. "Isn't he Harley-sama?" Harley stopped mentally cursing Haruka and looked at his former pokémon with slight apprehension. He'd never thought his sweet buddy could be so… Tough.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered, hoping his answer wouldn't upset Noctus-chan any further, "he's very silly." Noctus-chan looked at the two of them, staring at Harley's arm, which just happened to be where Jupetta-chan was still resting his head, for a few seconds. He shook his head and quickly turned around, beginning to walk away.

"Let's just go," he muttered, not sounding in the least bit pleased. Not wanting to invoke the fiery male's wrath, everyone kept quiet and followed.

* * *

Things actually stayed relatively calm for the next few hours, the only conversation being around the lines of, "Which way should we go?" And no one said a thing to Noctus-chan. They didn't dare to. Well, with the exception of Jupetta-chan, but he was too busy watching the wild pokémon they passed to say anything. In fact, it wasn't until the sun started setting that a certain someone started getting bored. And a bored Jupetta-chan, as everyone was about to find out, was _not_ a good thing. 

"Harley-sama?" Harley looked down at the younger boy, smiling sincerely.

"Yes, Jupetta-chan? Is something wrong?" Jupetta-chan shook his head in what Harley thought was a _dreadfully_ adorable fashion.

"Nope. I just wanted to know something… Are you in love with anyone?" At those words, everyone froze in their tracks. Noctus-chan stiffened, his face twisting into a cross between a frown and a scowl. Shuu and Robert watched curiously, wanting to see how the coordinator would handle this particular situation. Luna just looked hungry for some juicy gossip. As for Harley… No one thought they had ever seen anyone's face go that red before.

"W-why do you ask?" he asked, his face simply _burning_ in embarrassment. Jupetta-chan shrugged, not seeming fazed in the slightest.

"I dunno. I'm just really bored cause we haven't seen any pokémon lately, and I started thinking about things that begin with "L." Like log, and leap, and left, and large, and lettuce... And love! So I thought about you and wanted to know if you love anyone. I know you don't love that mean girl that we saw at the Grand Festival… We trained really hard, and she called us scary and hurt me!" Well, everyone had to admit that Jupetta-chan's thought process was, for lack of better word, unique. For a moment, Harley thought that maybe he'd forgotten his original question after he'd gotten off track… Until he added, "So, do you?"

"Well, I…" Harley couldn't believe his bad luck. How could he _ever_ explain this? Sure, he had a crush on someone, possibly even loved them. But how to explain that to Jupetta-chan? And in front of everyone else! Well, when in doubt, lie. "No, no one." Jupetta-chan frowned, but quickly shrugged it off.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me Harley-sama, I understand. But you don't have to lie about it." Harley blushed even more, this time for being caught lying. How could someone who had only been a human for mere hours be so perceptive? Especially when he seemed so naïve… "Anyways, _I_ love you Harley-sama!"

Standing on his tiptoes, Jupetta-chan placed a kiss on Harley's cheek. The poor man looked ready to pass out from all of the blood rushing to his cheeks. How could he be so damn _cute_?

"I don't think you mean love in the same way I'm thinking," Harley added weakly, not able to explain exactly why he was so worked up over a little kiss on the cheek. It wasn't like it meant anything…

"Sure I do!" Jupetta replied with a grin, going back to nuzzling his master's arm. "I've always loved my Harley-sama and I always will. And now that I'm a human, I can love you all I want!" Everyone went silent, not knowing what they could possibly say to that. Then suddenly, a low growl filled the area…

Noctus-chan looked ready to murder someone at this point. Still growling, he spun on his heel and marched away from the group and towards the forest. The seemingly ever-present scowl he wore intensified moments before he raised his hands and…

The group, minus Luna and Jupetta-chan, watched on in amazement as bursts of energy flew out of Noctus-chan's hands and hit the trees. With incredible speed, he manipulated the bursts, taking out all of his anger on the innocent foliage. By the time he finally stopped, there was a picture of a skull and crossbones that highly resembled the appeal he made against Haruka on Izabe Island.

"Was that Seed Machine Gun?" Harley asked in awe, momentarily forgetting about his dilemma. Luna nodded, seeming impressed, but not surprised.

"Sure looks like that. If he knew that attack as a pokémon, then it definitely is. Did you think that turning human makes us forget our attacks?" She laughed at the blank faces she was met with. "Watch this."

Closing her eyes in concentration, the coin on her choker began to glow a light yellow. Within moments, more coins materialized and went flying through the air, embedding themselves in the trees behind the coordinators. Nekonikoban was a success.

"Oh, oh, watch me!" Jupetta-chan cried excitedly, letting go of Harley's arm and running ahead to stand in front of the group. He raised his arms in the air with a smile, and soon there were little blue flames floating around him. He started bouncing on his heels, making the flames twirl around. "Isn't Will-o-Wisp pretty?"

Noctus-chan had looked over to watch Jupetta-chan out of the corner of his eye, and then turned back to the trees when he was done. Harley watched the whole thing, and it made him wonder… Why was Noctus-chan being like that? He'd always thought his pokémon would be sweet if he could talk, just like Jupetta-chan was now. So why wasn't he? Why was he always so angry? It just didn't make any sense…

Then he remembered the other problem he had. Jupetta-chan… There was no way they had the same definition of love, right? He just _had_ to find out. But how could he with so many people around? Sensing the tension that was steadily growing between the coordinator and his former pokémon, Robert cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

"The sun is beginning to set, and it will begin getting dark soon. Perhaps we should stop here and set up camp?" He looked around to everyone, noting in particular the relieved look on Harley's face. Receiving no objections, he nodded, setting down the pack he'd been carrying. "Well then, who wants to help me find some firewood?"

* * *

It ended up that Shuu went with Robert to fetch firewood for their dinner. Luna went to see if there was a lake or river nearby. Harley and Jupetta-chan stayed behind to wait for the wood so they could cook the ramen they had gotten and would be eating for a _very_ long time… Noctus-chan had disappeared to only God knew where, probably sulking about what had happened earlier. The little scene from less than half-an-hour ago was still on Shuu's mind. He just couldn't understand it… 

"Is something bothering you?" Shuu looked up from his hunt for proper firewood to face the blond man.

"It's Noctus… Noctus-chan," he corrected himself, feeling it odd to add such a friendly honorific to a pokémon who had threatened his manhood. "Why is he so…? So…"

"Ill-tempered?" Robert offered when Shuu seemed to be at a loss for words.

"I was leaning towards bitchy, but that works too." Robert rolled his eyes slightly, but didn't disagree. "He never stops glaring, and he almost killed me. And he constantly looks like he wants to murder Harley. Not that I care about that idiot, but aren't they good "buddies" or something? I would've thought they'd be a lot alike… But Noctus-chan can't seem to stand anyone but Jupetta-chan. The only reason he's left you and Luna alone is because you haven't bothered him…"

"Correction," Robert argued, "we haven't bothered _Jupetta-chan_." Shuu raised a questioning eyebrow, as if urging Robert to continue. "Haven't you noticed that Jupetta-chan has been the underlying reason for all of his anger? You insulted Jupetta-chan, and Harley has been the one receiving all of his attention. If you'd like my opinion on the matter, I'd say that Noctus-chan is jealous."

"Jealous?" Shuu questioned. "Why would he be jealous? What, does he want Harley to pay more attention to him or something? How does that explain why he flipped out when I called Jupetta-chan a thing?" Robert smiled, obviously amused with the boy's lack of understanding.

"I suppose you might be too young to understand the way love works…" Shuu's eyes widened. Love? First jealousy, now _love_? What was Robert thinking? Sensing Shuu's confusion, he continued. "In my opinion, it seems that Noctus-chan is in love with Jupetta-chan. That would explain both his run-ins with you _and_ Harley. And it would certainly clarify why he destroyed the innocent trees when Jupetta-chan mentioned loving someone that wasn't him. Perhaps I'm looking far too much into the situation, however… It would certainly make sense."

Shuu remained quiet, contemplating what the blond had said. It wasn't like he'd never heard of two guys being together, but he'd never actually _seen_ anything like that before. He'd figured that Jupetta-chan's "love" for Harley was much like how he loved his own pokémon, not anything romantic. And _Noctus-chan_ being in _love _in the first place? Perhaps the sun had gotten to Robert earlier…

Then again, it really _did_ make sense, didn't it? Perhaps it didn't seem plausible, but it appeared to be the case nonetheless. Did that mean they were going to have to deal with a love triangle for the entire trip? Shuu certainly hoped not. He didn't want to watch his every move just to make sure a jealous ex-pokémon didn't murder him… Although, Harley had said he loved someone, so if it wasn't Jupetta-chan— Actually, Shuu wasn't sure if he wanted to see a ticked-off Jupetta-chan…

"Yes, I suppose it would… Oh, and Robert," he looked up at the man with a peculiar glint in his eyes, "don't assume I know nothing about love just because I'm young, got it?" Robert did well to hide his smile.

"Of course Shuu, of course."

* * *

It had taken Luna all of five minutes to find a nearby river. She filled up the jug she had brought with water and headed back to camp so Harley and Jupetta-chan could start cooking as soon as the firewood arrived. As she walked back to their campsite, she idly wondered where Noctus-chan had gone off to. Was he off harming more wildlife? Once the camp was back in sight, she saw that that wasn't the case… 

Noctus-chan was leaning against a large tree, peering through deep thickets that concealed him from the occupants on the other side. Luna had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She hoped Noctus-chan didn't think he was fooling anyone… So long as one had at least _one_ functioning eye, they could see that Noctus-chan had a bad case of envy. The cause was debatable of course, but she had a good feeling that she knew what was going on…

She had briefly considered sneaking behind him and trying to scare him, but figured that he'd probably kill her for it. And she _really_ needed to save the world before she went and did something silly like dying. Besides, before she even reached Noctus-chan, he turned around and gave her a look that clearly said, "Keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you." Taking the hint, she kept quiet and stood next to him, watching the scene on the other side of the thickets…

* * *

Harley sat on a hollowed log, fidgeting nervously. He knew that now was the perfect time to talk to Jupetta-chan, now that they were alone. There was no prying eyes, no questioning stares, no upset pokémon… But he just couldn't seem to start the conversation he knew they had to have. Where to begin? It wasn't like he could just ask, "Hey Jupetta-chan, do you love me like a brother, or do I turn you on?" Honestly, Jupetta-chan looked about Shuu's age; he couldn't know what romantic love was! …Could he? 

Jupetta-chan watched his master curiously, wondering why exactly he looked so anxious. He hoped Harley wasn't scared of Noctus-chan. The other pokémon was just being grumpy as far as Jupetta-chan was concerned. There was really no need for alarm… Regardless, he was getting bored waiting for the older man to strike up conversation.

"Harley-sama," he initiated the discussion, scooting over on the log so they were sitting side by side, "what 'cha thinking about?" Harley glanced over at him, considering how he should word what he needed to ask.

"Jupetta-chan," he began, weighing his words carefully, "what does love mean to you?" Jupetta-chan's expression became puzzled, but he wasted no time giving his answer.

"Love is what you feel when you're around someone that means a lot to you. More than anyone else in the world. You feel happy when they're around and sad when they're not. You want to spend all of your time with them, and no matter what they do you never want to leave them." He paused, looking Harley straight in the eyes. "I've always loved Harley-sama, even when I was still a pokémon. Even before I evolved. I'd get so lonely when I'd have to wait in my monster ball… I'd wonder, 'When can I see Harley-sama again? I miss him.' But when I'd get called out for a battle or contest, I'd feel happy and warm…"

He trailed off, smiling blissfully, looking much more mature than Harley had seen him since he'd turned into a human. Harley really didn't know what to say. Jupetta-chan could still be mixing up his feelings, mistaking them for what he thought was love. But from what he'd described, Jupetta-chan honestly thought he was in love, and that made it real enough. How to deal with it though…?

"I'm flattered, but—" Jupetta-chan shook his head, placing a finger on Harley's lips to silence him.

"I know; you love someone else. I don't expect you to feel the same way. Just remember that I'll always love my Harley-sama." Removing his finger, Jupetta-chan leaned closer, brushing his lips gently against the other man's. For all of his early doubt, Harley did nothing to stop him, instead wondering if maybe, just maybe, this wasn't what he wanted after all...

* * *

Luna could tell the other boy was upset. No, that was an understatement; he was _incredibly_ distressed. She turned to say something to him, but never got the chance. Noctus-chan was running in the direction of the river, much too quickly for Luna to catch up with him while he was still moving. Sighing deeply, she walked around the thickets to the opening path for their campsite, already coming up with an excuse for Noctus-chan's absence in her mind. 


	5. Chapter 4

**Project G—Chapter four (8-27-05)**

Luna walked into camp just moments after Harley and Jupetta-chan parted. She acted as if she hadn't seen anything, which was hard considering she was torn between feeling excited by such a sweet scene and sad that it upset Noctus-chan so much. She placed the water on the ground, and they waited for the others to arrive in silence.

It was approximately fifteen minutes later when Shuu and Robert arrived, both carrying an armful of firewood. They noticed the unusual quiet as they got the wood together for the fire. Jupetta-chan hadn't been able to keep quiet for very long the entire day, and now he was completely silent, simply laying his head on Harley's shoulder. Shuu recalled his and Robert's conversation. Perhaps the older man had been right…

"Where's Noctus-chan?" Robert asked curiously, looking around the campsite to see if he was lurking around a corner or something similar. Harley looked worried, peering around while trying not to disturb the boy who was half-asleep on his shoulder.

"That's a good question. He disappeared as soon as we stopped, and I haven't seen him since…" He turned to Luna. "Did you see him when you got the water?" Luna felt herself tense, though she tried her best to appear nonchalant.

"Oh yeah, I saw him on my way back. He said he wasn't very hungry right now, and he'd eat later, so we shouldn't wait up for him. So… Let's get cooking!" Harley nodded, accepting her story and gently shaking Jupetta-chan to fully wake him. Robert, on the other hand, looked skeptical. He stayed quiet however, knowing that Luna would tell them if something serious was happening. Shuu backed away from the wood, also accepting her story, digging through his bag to pull out some ramen packages.

"Okay… So how do we start the fire?" He was met with blank stares. "…Don't tell me no one bought a lighter or some matches…" Again, blank stares were the only answer. "Well, what are we going to do then?"

Jupetta-chan stood up, his droopy eyes showing off the fact that he'd almost fallen asleep during the wait. He yawned cutely—in Harley's opinion of course, but he was biased—and walked in front of the fire. He lifted up his arms and concentrated, allowing his Will-o-Wisp attack to hit the wood, causing it to begin burning.

"S'okay," he murmured tiredly, going back over to sit next to Harley, "I got it." He laid his head back on Harley's shoulder, immediately closing his eyes. Harley sighed looking over to Robert.

"Would you mind—?" Robert laughed lightly, nodding and getting up from his seat.

"Of course. It's his first day as a human after all; he has a right to be tired. We'll wake him when the food is done." Harley smiled appreciably, and Robert got to work boiling the water.

* * *

When Robert had finished cooking, conversation was still scarce. Jupetta-chan was too groggy and Luna was too busy eating something that wasn't berries to say anything. Shuu was still wondering about what Robert had said. He knew about love… Really he did. Love was what people felt when they got married. Just because he'd never felt it before didn't mean he didn't know what it was, right? 

Harley was lost in his own thoughts as well. The conversation with Jupetta-chan kept playing in his head over and over again. He'd thought he'd been in love before, or at least, very close to love. But since Jupetta-chan had kissed him, he wasn't so sure. Surely, if it was true love a simple kiss wouldn't affect him so much, would it? But then again, it could be simply because it was unexpected. Should he really give up on his previous affections so easily?

Robert watched his companions inquisitively. He understood Luna and Jupetta-chan's silence, but what about the other two? Something must have happened between Harley and Jupetta-chan while he was gone he decided. And he had a feeling that Luna knew what it was. As for Shuu, he had a good idea that he knew what the boy was thinking about… Secretly, he hoped that he really _did_ know what love was… He forced himself not to think about it though.

By the time everyone had finished eating, Noctus-chan still wasn't back, and it was getting rather late. Stating a _bit_ too enthusiastically that she'd go and wash the supplies at the river, Luna jumped up, gathered their goods, and ran down the path. Jupetta-chan had fallen asleep as soon as he'd finished eating, and as Harley was putting him in one of the sleeping bags, he called out to her to look for Noctus-chan. She yelled back that she would, and then she was gone. Robert watched her go, wondering what she was up to…

Of course, Luna knew that Noctus-chan would be there, that he'd been there all night. She supposed it was pokémon intuition. Regardless, she would use any excuse to make sure he was okay. She knew that she shouldn't get into any of this; she should focus her efforts on stopping the Darks… But she couldn't just sit around and watch a fellow pokémon-turned-human suffer! Somehow, she had to help him…

"Noctus-chan," she called out as she approached the river, "where are you?" She received no response, but as she reached the water's edge she saw her target. He was sitting on a large rock, peering down into the rippling water. Luna could tell that he was still upset over what he had seen. What could she possibly say to make things better…? "Is there anything I can do?"

"Fuck off." Well, _that_ certainly wasn't it.

"Come on, I saw what happened too. Don't you want to talk about it?" He didn't even look at her as he answered.

"No." She sighed. Why was he so stubborn?

"Why not?" He finally looked up, giving her a half-hearted glare. Now that she could see his face, it was easy to see that he was exhausted. His eyes looked fine though, so at least he hadn't been crying. He _did_ look like he could benefit from a good night's sleep though…

"Because you're annoying me. I just want to be left alone. Now if you don't mind, _do_ leave me alone before I Poison Pin your ass all the way to Sieki." Luna wasn't sure where Sieki was, but she took the threat seriously. Moving away from Noctus-chan, she settled down next to the river and started cleaning up. Noctus-chan continued to ignore her, opting to gaze up at the starry sky.

"Stupid Jupetta-chan…" he murmured under his breath, barely loud enough to hear. But Luna, being part cat, heard him loud and clear. And of course, she couldn't keep her curiosity in check at the peculiar statement.

"I thought you were crazy about him? You almost killed Shuu when he called Jupetta-chan a 'thing,' and now you call him stupid? Someone has major mood swings…" Noctus-chan's eye twitched as he cursed himself for saying that out loud. Why, of all people, did this nosey girl have to be the one to lead them?

"He's naïve," was the reluctant answer she got, as he knew she wouldn't shut up until he told her what she wanted to know. "He doesn't see what's right in front of him… That's why he's stupid. He always has been, and he probably always will be…" He suddenly stood up and jumped down from the rock.

"Where are you going?" Luna asked as he walked away. He continued on, not stopping or looking back.

"To camp, idiot." With that, he disappeared into the forest, not taking the path in hopes she wouldn't follow him. Luna shook her head and quickly finished her washing. Noctus-chan was a tough nut to crack… Though in all honestly, she couldn't wait to see how this little love triangle would work out.

'_What about Harley? He's in love with someone else completely… I wonder if it's—_' She laughed to herself, shaking her head in amusement. '_Yeah right, I'm crazy if I think **that** would ever work…_'

* * *

By the time Luna arrived back at camp, everyone, including Noctus-chan, was in their sleeping bags and deep in dream land. Yawning herself, she slipped into her own bag near the fire and closed her eyes. She'd think more about the problem in the morning as they continued their search for the cave containing the Ice Orb. Hopefully, it wouldn't take very long. The quicker they found it, the better. 

As Luna drifted off, the moon shone brightly over the slumbering group. Their first day was over, and already there were tensions running high. How could they save the world in their current state? No one knew, but the twinkling stars and brilliant shining moon certainly gave hope for the future.

* * *

In the dead of the night, a man and a woman trudged though a pitch black forest somewhere in mid-Hoenn. Neither knew exactly where they were, just that they had to go north, and the woman wasn't allowed to lead the way anymore. After ending up in a desert, a dump, a swamp, and a pillow factory, the man wasn't taking any more chances. If they didn't hurry up and catch the experiment, the boss would have their heads… And that was a fate neither of them wanted to face. 

"Kieran, can't we stop yet? I'm soooo tired!" The man grunted, obviously worn-out but not willing to stop.

"No Duana, we have to keep going. If we don't catch up with her soon, the boss will kill us. Do you really want to die? Because I sure as hell don't! And you know it will be long, drawn out, and painful. So shut up and—" He was cut off by a loud rumbling noise. "Duana?"

Kieran turned back and saw his partner leaning against a tree, fast asleep. He sighed in annoyance, wondering how she ever managed to get her degree in engineering. But then again, she did look rather contented to be sleeping… Yes, sleeping… A quick rest wouldn't hurt, now would it? Of course not! Slinking to the ground, he closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

When the first rays of the morning sun hit her face, Luna slowly awoke from her peaceful slumber. Blinking a few times to get used to the light, she sat up and peered around. Robert and Shuu were sitting around the fire, tending to something in a pot that looked like soup. Whatever it was, it smelled good! Another quick look confirmed that Harley and his pokémon were still sleeping. 

'_Oh well_,' she thought, her stomach growling, '_more for me_!'

She got up and sat next to Robert, who was stirring the pot's contents. After a brief explanation that it was called miso soup, yes it was eaten for breakfast, and yes it tasted good, Luna couldn't wait to have the strange looking soup. Hey, it sure beat berries!

By the time the miso soup was done, Harley had woken to the enticing aroma. He looked over at Jupetta-chan, who was sleeping soundly. Their talk last night had only served to confuse him further. He knew he loved Jupetta-chan. He had back when he was a Kagebouzu, and he always would. But was it the same kind of love that Jupetta-chan claimed to harbor for him? He wasn't sure. True, he thought the boy was extremely adorable, and that kiss had been in his mind even in his dreams…

…And he wasn't doing a very good job of thinking about other things. He forced himself to turn away and instead focus on his other pokémon. Jupetta-chan was cute, but Noctus-chan's fiery personality was nothing short of sexy. And no, he had no trouble admitting that. If only he wasn't so hostile all of the time, he might tell him that… But that would only serve to complicate matters further. He was already questioning his feelings for two different people; he didn't need to add another to the list.

"Well, are you going to wake them or not?" Harley snapped out of his musings and found himself face to face with Shuu. The boy had gone over when he'd seen the other coordinator staring into space and now was regarding him curiously. Harley kept the blush off his face by pure willpower.

"S-sure," he stuttered, getting up quickly and moving to wake Jupetta-chan first. Shuu watched for a few minutes before heading back to the fire. There was something wrong with Harley… He hadn't yelled at him for getting in his face or bugging him. What was _wrong_ with everyone?

Jupetta-chan woke up easily enough, with only a few yawns and a cute smile to his master. But waking Noctus-chan was a whole different story… Harley couldn't seem to rouse him no matter what he tried. Talking, poking, shaking, and hitting were all for naught. After a while, the others began watching him, making bets among themselves as to how much longer it would take. Finally, Jupetta-chan decided that he was hungry, and the fastest way to eat would be to help his Harley-sama.

"I'll do it!" he exclaimed, getting to his knees next to his fellow pokémon. "I know how to make him get up." With everyone watching inquisitively, Jupetta-chan leaned down… And placed a small kiss on Noctus-chan's lips.

The reactions were varied, to say the least. Noctus-chan immediately sat up, his face burning red and his eyes wide. Harley wasn't faring much better, suddenly finding himself very hot at the thought of his buddies kissing each other. Shuu once again wondered why he was stuck with such nutcases. Robert allowed himself a small smirk, almost as if he'd expected something like this to happen. Luna couldn't help but grin; that was soooo cute! And as for Jupetta-chan himself, he just sat on his knees, smiling at his friend.

"What the _hell_ was that for!" Noctus-chan demanded, his face still as red as an apple. Jupetta-chan smiled sweetly, looking proud of himself.

"I woke you up just like that prince did to the princess in the story Harley-sama used to read to us before we evolved. I always wanted to know if it worked… And it does!" Noctus-chan couldn't say anything, as he had no idea how to respond to something like _that_. Once again, it was Robert to the rescue.

"The miso soup will get cold if we wait much longer. Shall we eat?" Nodding, Luna and Shuu turned back to the fire, while the other three got up and made their way to the others. Jupetta-chan was eager to eat, but Harley and Noctus-chan went more slowly, both replaying the scene in their heads. Noctus-chan because it was the closest he believed he'd ever get to a real kiss with the boy, and Harley because it was just plain _hot_.

…The second day had arrived and things were already getting more confusing than before.

* * *

Breakfast was rather uneventful compared to what had just gone on. They ate their miso soup in silence, and afterwards Luna offered to clean the cooking supplies again. While she was gone, Robert put out the fire, and the others packed up the additional supplies. When Luna returned a short time later, they finished packing and were finally ready to resume their journey. 

"So," Shuu began, looking around to the various paths leading out of camp, "which way should we go now?" Luna looked from path to path, considering the possibilities. She eventually pointed to the path veering off to the northwest.

"Let's go that way. It's the one going the most to the north, and that _is_ where the cave is after all." No one could argue with that logic, and thus they started their way up the path. Luna led the way, with Noctus-chan taking up the rear. Shuu and Robert were close to the front, while Harley was in the middle, Jupetta-chan walking near him. Noctus-chan watched them, wondering if maybe Jupetta-chan knew about the extent of his feelings after all… Then Jupetta-chan slipped his hand into Harley's, to which the older man did nothing to stop. Noctus-chan's eyes narrowed.

…Never mind.

* * *

Duana awoke feeling refreshed and happier than she had since the experiment had run away. She did, however, wonder why exactly she was using a tree root as a pillow… Then she remembered falling asleep as Kieran was going on about something or other… A quick peek confirmed that her partner was still asleep just a few feet away from her. She giggled as a snore escaped his sleeping form. 

It certainly didn't look like he'd be waking up anytime soon.

That was fine by her. Probably once Kieran woke up, he'd have them traveling for three days straight. She'd take any rest she could get with open arms. They might have been best friends since grade school, but that didn't mean she had to like his obsessive nature. Really, Lana, or was it Lina, couldn't have gotten that far. She was probably in some city looking for someone who'd believe her story.

And the last time she'd looked, there weren't many nice people left in the world that would just throw caution to the wind and help a random girl off the streets. Oh well, she didn't feel like thinking at the moment. No, a few more hours of sleep were in order… Duana closed her eyes, determined to sleep for as long as possible before Kieran woke up and threatened to dismember her again…


	6. Chapter 5

**Project G—Chapter five (9-13-05)**

They'd been walking for a few hours with no mishaps. It was probably due to the fact that everyone had a lot on their minds, but regardless of the reason, the peace was welcomed with open arms. Luna led them down path after path, her only reasoning being, "This just seems like a good direction." The others offered no objections; they had no idea what the cave would even look like, so who were they to tell her she was wrong?

As they walked, Noctus-chan stayed far behind the rest of the group, glowering silently. Just when he'd thought he'd had a chance with Jupetta-chan… It all ended up being a big joke! In the stories a kiss always meant true love, so where was _his _fairy tale ending? Why wasn't _he _living happily ever after with his one true love? Why was Jupetta-chan holding hands with Harley and not _him_?

_He **did **kiss Harley first_, a little voice hummed in Noctus-chan's mind. The boy scowled, not liking that realization one bit.

'_Who cares_,' he mentally grumbled.

_You do_.

Well, that may be true, but he didn't need to be arguing with himself. He was unstable enough as it was, he didn't need to go _completely _crazy…

'_Whatever. If Jupetta-chan wants to waste his time with him, that's **his **problem_…'

Meanwhile, Harley was having his own Jupetta-chan troubles. The more time he spent with his pokémon, the more he felt like he was… Well, like he was falling in love with the boy. He knew it was crazy, absolutely insane even. Sure, he'd known Jupetta-chan for years, but he'd only really _known _him for a little over a day. It had taken Harley months to realize who he felt about his current crush, and now one little kiss was tearing apart everything he'd thought he had figured out!

'_But it's not like **he **could ever like me that way… And Jupetta-chan says he loves me… Maybe it would be best for all of us…_' He looked down at the boy who held his hand. '_Besides, he **is **awfully cute…_'

Robert was perhaps loving the calm atmosphere the most. He hadn't seen so much bickering and drama rolled together in a very long time… Not since he was a young teenager in fact. But that had been a long time ago, and it all could have been avoided if his parents had just _understood _him a little more. …But he didn't like to think about it. It was all in the past now; there was no way to change anything that had happened, and he didn't think he'd want to even if given the chance. He stole a quick glance to the boy walking beside him, and decided that no, he wouldn't change anything for the world.

Shuu was unaware that he was being watched. He was unaware of everyone in fact. So much had been going on lately… What happened to the good old days of entering pokémon contests, teasing Haruka, kicking Harley's butt, and having Robert kick his in the end so he'd have a reason to get stronger? Okay, so he was exaggerating, and it'd only been a few days, but still… Life had been _so _much easier before Luna had come up to them asking for help. He wanted to help the pokémon of course, but that didn't mean he was too fond of the half-breeds traveling with them… Jupetta-chan was too perky, Noctus-chan was too violent and moody, and Luna… Well, she was the one to pick Harley's pokémon over his own to become humans in the first place!

But it wasn't like he was jealous or anything.

Quite frankly, he couldn't wait until this whole ordeal was over with. The faster they found the orbs, the faster things would be back to normal and he could go back to winning ribbons. That's what he was good at—pokémon contests, not saving the world, and certainly not love… He'd never let Robert know that though. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't let the older man find out just how confused he really was. It gave him the oddest feeling in the pit of his stomach… In the end, he decided just not to think about it.

Luna walked in the front, keeping her senses open to anything out of the ordinary. They had to be close to the cave, she just knew it! And the quicker they found it, the better it would be for everyone. Not only did the world's pokémon need saving, but she wasn't sure how long her companions could last before there was bloodshed… Thus, she kept her eyes and ears focused, determined to find an entrance to the ice cave. After all, who knew how long the peace would actually last…

Jupetta-chan had the least on his mind, being completely content simply to walk next to Harley, his fingers threaded snugly with the older man's. He watched the scenery as they passed it, sneaking glances at his love every now and then. Of course, he never noticed Noctus-chan glaring at them. Even if he had, he would have determined that it was because his friend hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. But the other male didn't even enter his thoughts. He was much too satisfied daydreaming about his Harley-sama.

Since everyone was lost in their own thoughts, no one had said much of anything for those past few hours, simply letting Luna lead the way with no questions asked. By now it would be noon soon, and they'd have to stop for lunch. Though taking a break _did _sound rather appealing after walking nonstop for the entire morning, it seemed that stopping was when fights were more apt to break out… Thus the three who weren't focused on relational matters, namely Robert, Shuu, and Luna, didn't want to stop until absolutely necessary—

"I'm hungry! When can we eat?" No one even needed to guess who that came from.

"Well," Robert began, once again taking on the role of the responsible one of the group, "the best option would be to travel until we reach a suitable place to stop. A river or stream would be preferable, but a clearing will do as well."

"Okay," Jupetta-chan chirped, squeezing Harley's hand ever-so-slightly, obviously not to concerned with waiting. The gesture, no matter how small, had two obvious effects. Harley's face reddened at the sign of affection, and Noctus-chan's scowled deepened even more than it had previously been. Which was a hard feat, but was managed with a style only achieved by an insanely jealous man.

'_I'll get Jupetta-chan to notice me… One way or another._'

* * *

Duana was having a very pleasant dream. In it, she'd just won an award for being the most brilliant pokémon biologist in the entire world. There were thousands of people watching, all cheering her name. And Kieran was watching in the audience, scowling at her and her brilliance. Oh yes, she'd shown him! And to think he'd told her she couldn't even walk and chew gum at the same time… 

"OW!" And in a flash, her dream was gone and replaced with an aching head. She looked around for the source of her discomfort and saw nothing… Save for a smirking Kieran holding a rather large tree branch.

"That's what you get," he said smugly, confirming that he had in fact been the one to hit her on the head. "You let me sleep the whole morning away! Who knows how far away Lana could be now?"

"Actually," she said, sitting up, "I think her name is Lina." Kieran's smug expression faded, giving way to annoyance.

"That's not the point! You let me sleep instead of waking me up! It's all your fault we're so far behind!" Duana pouted, getting to her feet so she could run if he tried to hit her again.

"But I was still _tired_!" She stopped, blinking in confusion. "Hey, wait just a minute! How in the world did you know I woke up without waking you?" Kieran's smug expression was back tenfold.

"I didn't, but you just proved my suspicions." She opened her mouth to reply, but he didn't give her the chance. "Come on, we're gonna have to travel all night and day to catch up. Who knows when we'll get to stop again…" Duana sighed, but wasn't surprised when he started to walk away, still going on about how irresponsible she was. She followed at a much slower pace, letting him rant to himself. So long as he wasn't throwing things…

* * *

It had taken nearly half an hour before they'd reached a river, which luckily had a suitable clearing for cooking lunch. Another lucky occurrence was that the group managed to make it through the meal with absolutely zero mishaps. Although, it may have had a lot to do with the facts that A: Noctus-chan ate a ways away from the others and B: Jupetta-chan was far too hungry to say or do anything that could cause any further fights. But as Robert viewed it, while he ate his ramen in the calming atmosphere, all good things had to come to an end. And the day had been far too quiet and peaceful already, almost to the point of being downright dull. Something was going to happen soon, and it was going to be _big_, he just knew it… 

Soon enough, they were back on the proverbial road, in the same relative positions that they had been in previously. As they got farther from the river, Luna felt an odd feeling evade her senses. It was almost like someone, something, was calling to her… She stopped suddenly, earning curious looks from the others. …Except for two.

Jupetta-chan looked around curiously, as if searching for something that he himself was unaware of. Noctus-chan's ever-present scowl lessened, replaced instead with his own inquisitive look. He walked past the others to stand next to Luna.

"Do you sense it as well?" She nodded, regarding all of the surrounding area carefully.

"Yes, it must be close… We should search the area. Let's go." Immediately, the three hybrids were expecting every rock, tree, and hole in the ground that they could find. That left the three humans together, at a loss as to what was happening.

"…What do you think they're doing?" Shuu asked, raising an eyebrow at their determined investigation.

"They're obvious looking for something." Robert pointed out.

"But what?" Harley asked, just as baffled as the other two coordinators. They shrugged, wondering if asking would get them anywhere… Well, it wasn't like there was anything to lose…

"Ask him," Shuu urged, nudging Harley with his elbow. Harley looked down at the younger boy, giving him a questioning glance.

"Ask who what?" Shuu gave him a look that clearly said, "Don't play dumb."

"Ask your groupie what they're doing. He's obsessed with you; you'll get an answer." Harley flushed slightly, knowing that it was true, but more embarrassed that _Shuu _knew it was true…

"R-right…" He walked over to the group of trees Jupetta-chan was inspecting. "Jupetta-chan, can I ask you something?" The boy nodded, poking a tree insistently.

"Sure Harley-sama! What is it?" Harley heard Shuu snickering off to the side and repressed the urge to throw something at him.

"I was just wondering what you all were looking for. You just went off without telling us…" Jupetta-chan's poking ceased, and he turned to face the older man. Harley barely stopped from letting out a gasp at the absolutely heartbroken expression on the boy's face. '_What the…?_'

"I'm so sorry Harley-sama!" he cried, launching himself into the man's arms, barely holding back tears. "I just left you alone and didn't tell you anything and… And… I'm the worst boyfriend in the world!" Everyone, with the exception of Luna, who kept feeling around under a rock with both ears open, stopped at the outburst. Harley probably would have laughed if it had been happening to anyone else… But it wasn't, and he had to deal with a near-hysterical teenage boy in his arms.

"Jupetta-chan, it's okay, really! Don't cry!" He wrapped his arms around the smaller form, holding him close. "I'm not mad, so you have nothing to be upset about, okay? I'm just curious, that's all. And trust me, there are many worse boyfriends in the world…" Jupetta-chan looked up, his eyes shining with unshed tears and most of all, hope.

"So… Does that mean that I really am your boyfriend?" Harley let out a strangled noise in the back of his throat. This must be what being "between a rock and a hard place" meant… Did he break Jupetta-chan's heart or risk having his crush ruined forever? He glanced over to the side. Was it a lost cause? Was he better off with the boy in his arms? He wished he had more time to think about it, but the simple fact was that he didn't. It was time for an answer, but his brain had no idea what to say…

So he let his heart do the talking instead.

"Yes, Jupetta-chan, you're my boyfriend. And you're the best boyfriend in the universe." Jupetta-chan's expression instantly went from desolate to ecstatic.

"Really?" Harley smiled, knowing that he'd made the right decision.

"Really." The brunette squealed, winding his arms even tighter around his new boyfriend's waist. He had known, with not one doubt in his mind, that his Harley-sama loved him back. And now it was official! Of course, Harley hadn't actually said that he _loved _Jupetta-chan, not in the way the boy wanted, but it didn't matter. He hadn't even realized it in fact. All that mattered was that Harley agreed to be his boyfriend. In Jupetta-chan's eyes, the day couldn't possibly get any better.

This sweet scene was met with varying degrees of acceptance, as was to be expected. Obviously, Noctus-chan was _not _happy by any stretch of the imagination. _His _Jupetta-chan was with _that man_. This was unacceptable! He watched as Harley kissed the top of Jupetta-chan's head, earning him a giggle. This wasn't just unacceptable, this was one-hundred percent, downright _wrong_!

As far as the others were concerned, Robert didn't seem surprised at the new couple, although Shuu did. He knew that Jupetta-chan liked Harley, but he hadn't thought the feelings were requited… Luna smiled as she went to examine a tree. That was _adorable_. True, she felt bad for Noctus-chan, who was swiftly making his way towards the happy twosome unbeknownst to everyone else, but still…

'_It'll all work out… Somehow… Probably… Hey, what's this? It looks like a button… I wonder what'll happen if I press it…_'

Completely forgetting the old saying that curiosity killed the Nyasu, she pressed the knothole in, wondering if she'd found what they'd been looking for. If this was it, they'd be one step farther in their journey! She held her breath in anticipation…

But nothing happened. She sighed heavily, turning away from the tree, looking around for something else that could be holding a secret. Back to the**—**

"Ahh!" Jupetta-chan yelped and clung to Harley with all his might as the ground began to shake uncontrollably. Before anyone could question just exactly what was going on, the ground opened up, sucking them underground without a sound. Seconds later, the earth was whole again, and all was as it should be.

* * *

A few minutes later, two figures arrived at the scene. One looked determined about whatever he was doing and was talking to himself loudly while he did it. The other looked exhausted, almost ready to collapse, obviously tuning out whatever her companion was saying. They walked through the area, not even hesitating or giving it a second look. As far as they were concerned, it was just a normal forest. Just as they were about to leave completely, the woman stopped defiantly, crossing her arms across her chest. 

"Kieran," she whined pitifully, her voice betraying her stern look, "can't we stop yet? We've been walking for _hours _without one stop! I'm _hungry_!" The redhead turned around, not happy at this interruption.

"No," he said firmly. "_You _wanted to sleep in late, so _you _have to face the consequences. Besides, we have already stopped once. Remember? So you could go to the bathroom. Do you know how long we wasted back then? _Three minutes_! Three valuable minutes when we _could _have been searching. Now quit complaining and start walking. We have to catch up to that brat. Who knows how far ahead of us she is!" He started walking again, still going on in his diatribe about how irresponsible she _still _was.

The blonde hung her head, feeling utterly defeated… And famished. She hoped they found the experiment soon so she could eat… And sleep… And find new friends.

Little did they know how close they really were…


	7. Chapter 6

**Project G—Chapter six (9-20-05)**

When Shuu came too, the first thing he noticed that it was dark, very dark. Then, much to his embarrassment, he noticed that it was because his eyes were closed. Extremely grateful that no one could read his mind, he opened his eyes and—

Almost died of humiliation.

He thanked every deity he could think of that Robert was unconscious. Not that he was glad the older man was passed out or anything, but at the same time, he _was_… He was damn close to hyperventilating, and his pants felt abnormally tight, and… And…

'_Oh God, I just had my face buried in his crotch…_'

Yes, poor Shuu had woken up to find himself in an exceedingly compromising position. He knew he shouldn't be so embarrassed. After all, it wasn't his fault that they'd landed that way. But still, he couldn't help but feel, in the back of his mind, as if he'd liked it. And the worst part was that he didn't even feel dirty or anything of the sort.

'_Get a grip Shuu. Robert's over ten years older than I am, and he's a guy. I'm not Harley; I like girls. Right? Right. …I think. No! I don't think, I know! I like Haruka… Haruka, who is a girl. We'll get married some day, have kids, and be happy and… Man, Robert looks pretty hot when the light hits him like that… No! What am I thinking? I do **not** like Robert! And there's no way he likes me, so I should just—_'

"Shuu? Is something wrong?"

Shuu was very close to having a heart attack at that voice. He looked up and saw that Robert had woken up and was now sitting up and looking at him in a concerned manner. The boy had no idea what to say. He couldn't very well say, "Oh it's nothing, really. I was just having an argument with myself as to whether or not I find you attractive, that's all." Somehow, he didn't think that would go over well…

"Robert, do you think it's wrong for two guys to like each other?" The blond blinked at the sudden question, and Shuu was tempted to hide under a big rock. That was most certainly _not_ what he wanted to say…

"Of course not," Robert replied, not even needing to think about it. "I have no problem with Harley and Jupetta-chan's relationship, nor Noctus-chan's infatuation with Jupetta-chan. It is my belief that love is love, and nothing can make it wrong." Shuu nodded, but looked a bit nervous.

"Even a big age difference? You know… Like, over ten years or something?" Robert wondered if Shuu was getting at what he _thought_ he was getting at.

"No, not at all. It may seem odd if the couple was say, in their preteens and twenties, but that wouldn't matter much when they grew older, now would it?" He looked at Shuu with a strange glint in his eyes. "Shuu… Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

The boy panicked, his eyes widening enough to be noticeable. Robert sat patiently, awaiting an answer. Would he finally get a sign that the boy was ready? Would today be the day? Would his wait _finally_ be over? Would—?

"No, it's nothing… Hey, we should look for the others. Who knows how big this place could be." He quickly stood up, leaving the blond to stare at his retreating form. "Are you coming?"

Robert slowly stood up and followed. Obviously, Shuu wasn't ready just yet. He would be though, someday. Preferably, someday soon. He could wait until then… He hoped.

* * *

Luna awoke to the sound of dripping water. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was in a cave. …Then she did a double take. She was in a cave! The secret button had sent them plummeting into a cave! True, that seemed like an odd thing to get excited over, but it meant they'd reached they're first destination! But…

Where were the others? A quick search of her memory banks reminded her that when the earth had opened up, they'd all been in different spots. Since she'd been alone, she was currently still alone. That meant the others were somewhere else in the cave… Therefore, her first mission would be to find them. Then they could look for the ice orb. Alternatively, if she found the orb first, hey, that'd be one thing out of the way!

She was suddenly reminded of the water she'd first heard when she'd regained consciousness. Turning around, she found herself staring at the biggest waterfall she'd ever seen. Of course, she hadn't seen too many waterfalls in her life, save for one she'd passed once when she'd been a Nyasu, but still…

'_Maybe we can all take a bath after we've found the orb… After all, if we stink, those idiots will be able to smell us a mile away! Funny, I must be the only Nyasu in the world actually to like water… Oh, bad Luna! Back on track! Okay, gotta find my friends… Hmm, where to start…? That way looks good_!'

Picking a random direction, she was off.

* * *

"Harley-sama, wake up! Harley-sama, come on!" Noctus-chan snorted at the younger hybrid's failed attempt to wake their trainer. Though he was reluctant even to call him _that_ anymore…

"Harley-sama," he raised the pitch of his voice, imitating Jupetta-chan, "wake up so we can suck face some more! I'm _so_ lonely without you!" Jupetta-chan turned to face him, frowning slightly.

"Why are you being so mean Noctus-chan? Aren't you getting enough sleep?" Noctus-chan rolled his eyes.

"I'm sleeping just fine. And I'm not being mean."

"Yes you are!" Jupetta-chan protested.

"No I'm not."

"Yes, you _are_."

"No, I'm _not_."

"_Yes_!"

"_No_!"

"Yes, yes, yes times infinity!" Noctus-chan was about to continue, when he realized that he wasn't a child.

"If you ask me, _you're_ the one who's being mean…" Jupetta-chan blinked in confusion.

"Me? Why am _I_ mean? What did I do?" There was no answer. When it became clear that he wasn't going to get one, he pressed further. "Noctus-chan! Tell me what you're talking about!"

He didn't want to say anything. He knew that it would only complicate things in the long run. But he'd been holding it in for too long now. So if Jupetta-chan really wanted to know… He was going to tell him.

"You idiot! Don't you get it? I'm in love with you! I have been since the day Harley caught you! But you've always been more interested in him, even where we were pokémon. And when I finally get a chance to be with you, what do you do? You cling to him, kiss him, and start dating him! I saw you last night! And to think you had the nerve to kiss me this morning and _then_ say you love him a few hours later—"

"Noctus-chan…"

"—playing with me like that—"

"_Noctus-chan_."

"—I could just—"

"**_Noctus-chan_**!" He finally stopped his ranting and glared at Jupetta-chan.

"What!"

"I love you too." Noctus-chan did a double take.

"…Come again?" Jupetta-chan giggled, crawling over to the other male and sitting in his lap.

"I said that I love you too silly. I just never said anything because I thought you didn't like me that way." Noctus-chan was at a loss for words. He didn't quite understand how Jupetta-chan could _not_ realize that he loved him… Especially since everyone else seemed to know. However, that was besides the point…

Jupetta-chan loved him! After all that heartache, the little brat had liked him all along… The irony was almost enough to make him sick. But it didn't matter now, because he had him all to himself. …Wait…

"Hold on a second, what about Harley?" Jupetta-chan shrugged, laying his head on Noctus-chan's chest.

"I love him too. Who says I can't love both of you?" Noctus-chan couldn't help but smile at his love's naïve view of the world.

"That's alright I guess… As long as he doesn't hog you. …And that doesn't mean I have to like him too…"

"I know," he sighed happily, closing his eyes and listening to the steady beat of the older man's heart, "just don't hurt him or anything, okay?"

"Sure, if you insist…"

There was silence for a few minutes, before Noctus-chan realized that the boy had dozed off. He decided to let him sleep; Harley hadn't woken up yet anyways. They'd stay there until someone found them… Truthfully, he hoped that they'd take a while.

* * *

"…"

"…"

That was the extent of Robert and Shuu's conversation. Shuu wanted to say something, _anything_, to break the silence, but he didn't trust himself… He didn't need to say anything else that could make him look like an idiot. The last thing he needed was for Robert to think he was in love with him or something crazy like that…

Because he didn't. Really.

Meanwhile, Robert was losing himself in his thoughts. He couldn't believe he'd let this happen…He should have known better. He was an adult and should act like it. Nevertheless, he knew he couldn't help it, and he wasn't at fault. Nor was he crazy. There was something going on between them, he just knew it!

'_I wish he'd tell me what he's thinking… Maybe I could help him sort though what he's feeling. No one should have to go through such a hard discovery by themselves. …**I** shouldn't have had to go through it by myself…_'

* * *

Thirteen-year-old Robert stared at himself in a large vanity mirror. Perfectly pressed clothes, perfectly groomed blond hair, perfectly smooth, milky skin… He was beautiful and he knew it. All of the girls told him, so there was no reason not to. He didn't want them to think he was beautiful though, or handsome, or anything else. He didn't care about the girls. They just wanted them for the money anyways…

'_I just want **him** to think I'm beautiful… I… I think I love him_.'

The realization scared him. He was in love with another boy, and that was a problem. His parents had special names for people like him, names he didn't like to think about. They called the boy he loved those names. And it always made Robert's chest hurt to hear them say such horrible things. His beloved wasn't a bad person just because he spoke like a girl and loved his pokémon more than people. Robert himself loved his pokémon more than most people, and there was nothing wrong with that. People were cruel; pokémon loved you no matter what.

'_For once, I wish we weren't rich. Maybe if we were normal, our parents wouldn't care. Or at least, **my** parents wouldn't care…_'

Robert had been born into a wealthy family, as had his love. But unlike the other boy, Robert's parents hated homosexuals, while his love's parents supported him no matter what. It wasn't fair! If he told his own parents that he was in love, they'd disown him. Why couldn't they understand? He shouldn't be scared to tell them he was in love; he just knew it!

"Robert, that… boy is here to see you. Make sure he doesn't touch you or anything, understand?" Robert nodded, acting the part of the perfect son.

"Yes mother. I understand." He understood what she wanted him to do, he just didn't understand _why_.

She nodded tersely, leaving his room. Robert took one last glance in the mirror before heading to the door and greeting his crush.

"I'm glad you came. Come in Ha—"

* * *

"Ow!" Robert snapped out of his reminiscing as he bumped into someone. That someone fell to the ground, rubbing her bottom and wincing. "Geez, watch where you're going…"

"Luna?" The brunette looked up, smiling triumphantly.

"I found you guys! Yay! Two down and three to go!" Robert smiled at her excitement and helped her up, glad to have a distraction. He didn't need to go opening old wounds… Especially when the cause of them was much closer than Robert was comfortable with…

"Let's go find Harley and the others so we can get out of this stupid cave," Shuu cut in. "Really, why is it called the ice cave if there isn't any ice?" Luna shrugged, but pointed to a path to the right.

"Well, we know we were both going the wrong way, so let's go down here. If we find them quickly enough, we can get the orb, then stop and take a bath! There's this _huge_ waterfall back a ways…" She rambled on about the waterfall as they walked, both males hanging onto her every word, if only not to allow their minds to wander. Luna was _just_ the distraction they needed.

* * *

Duana and Kieran trudged back through the forest a few hours later. They had gone as far as they possibly could; only stopping when they'd reached the ocean. Wherever they were, there were no caves. And no caves meant no orbs. And no orbs meant they had to keep searching without a break _again_.

"I hate this," Duana pouted, slumping against a tree, utterly exhausted. "I hate this project, I hate walking, I hate those orbs, I hate walking, I hate caves, I hate walking, I hate—"

"Will you shut up!" Kieran snapped, just as exhausted, but not willing to admit it.

"Why should I? We're biologists, not henchmen…" She trailed off, her eyes catching a glimpse of something strange. "Hey! This knothole looks like a button! Maybe I should—"

"No!" he cut her off again. "Don't touch _anything_! Remember the last time you pressed a random button?" Her face reddened, indicating that yes, she did remember.

"We were nine… It was shiny! How was I supposed to know that it'd release a herd of Tropius?" Kieran only rolled his eyes, not liking the memories of almost being trampled to death. While he was being a stick in the mud, Duana took it upon herself to do the obvious thing…

Press the button anyways.

And just as before, the ground began shaking moments later.

"You pressed it, didn't you?" Kieran shouted over the rumbling.

"Yes!" She confessed, trying to cling to the tree. The shaking was too much though, and she lost her grip as the ground opened up. "I'm sooooooooorry!"

That was the last thing they'd be saying for awhile…


	8. Chapter 7

**Project G—Chapter seven (10-07-05)**

When Harley finally awoke, the first thing he thought about was if his pretty pokémon were okay. Jolting up and looking around confirmed that they were only a few feet away from him, and they both appeared to be sleeping. He sighed with relief; he didn't know what he'd have done if either of them had gotten hurt…

The second thing to enter his mind was the _way_ the two were sleeping. Jupetta-chan was in Noctus-chan's lap, and the older male had his arms wrapped firmly around his companion. It was adorable, plain and simple. Harley wished he had his camera with him; that would be a perfect shot for one of their photo albums! The question, however, was why? Noctus-chan had been keeping his distance from everyone ever since he'd transformed into a human. So why was he suddenly—?

And then it hit him. Hard. And quite frankly, he felt like a total idiot. It all made sense. Jealousy. Noctus-chan had been jealous that Jupetta-chan had been so touchy-feely with him. And that meant…

'_Noctus-chan is in love with Jupetta-chan! And by the looks of things, I'd say Jupetta-chan returns his feelings… That's so cute! My pretty buddies are in love! …But where does that leave me? Jupetta-chan said he loves me…_'

The thought of Jupetta-chan mistaking his feelings for him made Harley feel oddly depressed. Just when he'd thought he'd finally found someone he could love… And he'd even given up on someone else for the boy! True, he'd had major crushes since his pre-pubescent years, and quite a few minor infatuations, but he hadn't felt this strongly about anyone since—

He stopped himself for going any further on that track. He'd promised to himself years ago that he'd never think of it again. After all, it wasn't as if _he_ was still thinking about it… That was in the past, and it was best kept there.

"Something wrong?"

Harley jumped at the sudden voice, but calmed down when he saw it was only Noctus-chan. Perhaps it would be better to talk with him first… Maybe he had it all wrong. Maybe they'd just fallen asleep like that… Maybe—

"Well, are you gonna answer me or not?" Noctus-chan looked a bit peeved at being ignored, and Harley nodded, buying some time so he could think of the best way to ask what was on his mind.

"You and Jupetta-chan… Are you…?" Noctus-chan began smirking before the question could even be finished. It was high time Harley went through a bit of the turmoil he'd been feeling lately.

"Are we what? Together? In love? You'd be right on both accounts. While you were out of it, we had a little chat… Seems like he loves _me_ too. I hope you don't mind sharing…" Noctus-chan felt quite proud of himself; unfortunately, his cocky attitude was lost upon the joyous coordinator.

"Really?" He jumped up and ran to the where positively bewildered hybrid sat, plopping down beside him. "He loves both of us? That's great! You two are the cutest little couple I've _ever_ seen! And don't worry; I don't mind sharing at all!" Noctus-chan seemed rather doubtful.

"You don't?" Harley shook his head, smiling warmly.

"Of course not!" At this point, he reached up and brushed the side of his hand against Noctus-chan's face. "Especially when I'm sharing him with someone as cute as you…"

Poor Noctus-chan felt his brain shutting down. Was Harley flirting with him? The man who'd caused all of his grief since he'd become a human? It didn't make any sense!

_Of course it does_, piped up the little voice in his head. _It makes perfect sense. If he loves **one** of his pokémon, why wouldn't he love **both** of you?_

Whether it made sense or not, that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Get away from me," he growled, Jupetta-chan's slumber being the only thing keeping him from yelling. Harley drew his hand back as if he'd been burned, the emotional pain evident on his face.

"Noctus-chan… Why—?"

He was cut off by a series of incoherent mumblings, courtesy of the sleeping boy. He lifted up his head from Noctus-chan's chest groggily, blinking a few times to focus. Once he was back among the conscious, he saw Harley and smiled, having no idea as to what had just been going on moments ago.

"Harley-sama, you're awake!" he squealed and jumped from one of his lover's arms to the other's. "I was so worried about you! Don't scare me like that!" Despite the fact that he still felt perplexed, Harley couldn't help but smile back. He felt relieved that Jupetta-chan still loved him. Was this it? Was this the love he'd craved for so long? If so, why did Noctus-chan's reaction bother him so much?

'_I'll have to talk to him later, when we're alone… There must be some misunderstanding…_'

"I'm sorry," he said aloud, rubbing the boy's back in a comforting manner. "I never wanted to scare my beautiful love. Forgive me?" Jupetta-chan blushed faintly at the compliment, nodding happily.

"Of course! I'm just glad you're okay…" Harley drew him closer, wondering why this couldn't have happened years ago. Maybe he'd have been able to avoid a few heartaches that way…

"All right, enough of this mushy shit already. Let's go find everyone else so we can get out of this damn cave." Harley, not wanting to irate the hybrid further, stood up and helped Jupetta-chan to his feet. In turn, the boy kept a hold of his eldest lover's hand, then grasped Noctus-chan's hand with his other.

"Okay! Let's go!" The closest the three had been in days, they set out to find their friends.

* * *

"…Is there a reason you two aren't talking?" Robert and Shuu ignored her, walking in complete silence. "Come on! This is boring enough as it is. The least you could do is talk to me so the time will pass quicker!" 

Still no response.

"Please? I'm begging here, just one word!"

Total silence.

"…Pretty please?"

"…"

"…"

And that was all she could take.

"All right!" she shouted angrily, stopping and spinning on her heel so she was facing the two males. "I've had enough of this! Whatever lover's tiff you're having, I'm not a part of it! So quit ignoring me before I use your faces as scratching posts!" Needless to say, _that_ got her a response.

"We're not lovers!"

"I'm sorry Luna."

Two _very_ different responses. Luna looked from Robert to Shuu, carefully noting their expressions for later observation. A spark of pain flashed through Robert's eyes at the boy's words. And Shuu looked angry that she'd even suggested it.

'_Maybe a little **too** angry… I think **someone's** deep in denial…_'

"Whatever. I just call them as I see them…" Shuu opened his mouth to retort, but she continued, "And you don't have to be sorry Robert, I know you have a lot on your mind." The blond smiled gratefully, glad she wasn't pushing the issue too much.

"Let's just… keep going. We should find the others as quickly as possible." Shuu said nothing, just staring ahead stubbornly. Luna nodded, wanting desperately to ask something, but she didn't think she should do it with Shuu around. Deciding to ask when they were alone, she continued leading the way, this time accepting the silence that prevailed.

* * *

By the time Duana came to, Kieran was already up and looking around the room they'd landed in. He was feeling around the rock walls, looking for a way out. Duana felt her heart race; were they stuck? Were they going to die here? They couldn't die yet; she was too young and pretty! This wasn't possible, she—! 

"Quit hyperventilating. Look behind you." She complied, sweat dropping when she saw that there was indeed a large opening behind her.

"…Well, what are you doing then?" He shrugged, going back to his investigation.

"Not that it's any of _your_ business, but I'm looking to see if there are any secret buttons or something… If _you_ can find one, I don't see why _I_ can't…" She almost made a comment about how she had great dumb luck, before she realized that wasn't exactly flattering…

"Okay… Want some help?"

"No." Well, that was nice and blunt...

"All right. …Well… Maybe we should get going? We are in the cave after all. Maybe we can find the orb if we hurry." Kieran turned slowly to face her, his eye ticking in irritation.

"Hurry?" he questioned. "_Hurry?_ You have the audacity to tell _me_ to hurry when _you've_ been the one slowing us down the whole time? I don't believe you!" She was up quicker you could blink and hastily ran for her life. Kieran was after her in a split second, and the chase was on.

* * *

"Where do you think all the ice is?" Harley's shrugged, wondering the same thing himself. 

"Good question. What idiot names a place an ice cave when there are nothing but rocks? They obviously had _no_ idea what they were talking about…"

"Maybe all of it melted."

"Then it'd be a water cave," Noctus-chan pointed out.

"Oh, that's right…"

"I _still_ say they were just a bunch of idiots." Noctus-chan agreed with Harley for once, though he wasn't about to admit it.

"They're not the only ones…" Harley bit his tongue, desperately trying not to start anything with Jupetta-chan around. He just had to wait until they were alone, then he could get all of his answers… He just hoped he wouldn't go crazy first…

They walked along in silence for the next few minutes, the only sound being the water dripping from the stalactites down to the ground. Jupetta-chan was vaguely aware of the tension in the air, but brushed it off as everyone being bored after walking for so long. He wished there was something, _anything_, he could do to have some fun…

"Hey! I'm gonna go ahead and see if I can find some ice, okay? Okay!" Before either of his lovers could protest, he let go of their hands and ran off, leaving them staring at his retreating form…

…For about three seconds.

"Jupetta-chan, come back!"

"You're gonna hurt yourself you idiot!"

The boy ignored their cries of protest, anxious to find some fun. Maybe if he found some ice, he could skate on it until they found the others. Or maybe there'd be some snow and they could build a snowman. Or—

"Ow! What's with people running into me today?" He crashed to the ground, landing sprawled out on a disheveled Luna. Robert and Shuu watched the scene with much amusement. Haley and Noctus-chan, who had caught up enough to watch the whole thing happen, sighed in unison.

"I'm sorry!" Jupetta-chan apologized, helping Luna up. "I was looking for the ice." …She didn't even bother to ask.

"It's alright. Robert already knocked me down once today, so I'm getting used to it… But hey, we're all back together! This is great; now we can find the orb without worrying about getting lost. Well, we still might get lost, but we'll all be lost together! And— And I'm rambling, so let's just go…" There was a collective murmur of agreement as they followed the eager girl, once again relying on her innate sense of direction to get them to their destination.

Jupetta-chan, having learned that running in caves was a big no-no, walked between Harley and Noctus-chan, once again taking their hands in his. The three thought nothing of it, but the others were another story…

"What, are all three of you together now?" Harley looked over at Shuu, considering the best way to say it… He supposed the truth would be best.

"No, not quite. But Noctus-chan and I both love Jupetta-chan, and he loves us both back. Noctus-chan and I… We're just friends." Noctus-chan didn't say anything, and Harley felt a small stab of pain in his chest. He'd hoped his pretty pokémon would say he was wrong… And the worst part was, he knew exactly why it hurt him so much…

He was a wreck; who fell in love with _both_ of their pokémon?

"…And no one finds that a bit odd?" No one replied to Shuu at first. Luna had a feeling she knew what was going on… It seemed that Shuu wasn't the only one in denial. Harley was still internally moping, while Noctus-chan tried to think of anything _but_ his trainer who'd been flirting with him earlier. Jupetta-chan hadn't heard the earlier argument, and obviously didn't know that anything strange was happening. Finally, after a few minutes with no response, Robert spoke up.

"No, I'm not surprised at all." Shuu raised an eyebrow and Luna's ears perked up.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" The blond smiled, a speck of sadness showing through in his eyes.

"…I've always known he loved his pokémon more than anyone else in the world… I suppose it was rather foolish of me to ever think otherwise…"

Everyone suddenly stopped walking.

"Robert…" Harley's voice sounded very small, almost like he was afraid of what the other man was saying. This didn't go undetected of course, and Shuu looked back and forth between the two.

"…Do you two know each other from before all this?" Harley remained silent, his grip on Jupetta-chan's hand going limp. Robert nodded slowly, deciding that know was as good a time as ever. If he ever wanted to move on with his life, he'd have to confront his past first…

"Yes. Actually, we grew up together. We were next door neighbors and best friends as children." Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan were insanely curious. Why was it they didn't remember Robert? They'd been with Harley since the he was ten-years-old… As for Luna, she looked more interested than she had been thus far in their journey. She hadn't been able to guess _that_ little tidbit of information… And she had a feeling there was even more to come.

"So what happened? You two act like you don't even know each other…" Robert gave Harley a chance to say or do something to tell him to stop, not to tell what they'd hidden for so long. When he received nothing, he laughed hollowly, not quite believing he was about to say this.

"Then we grew into teenagers… And I fell in love with him."


	9. Chapter 8

**Project G—Chapter eight (10-16-05)**

The shocked gasps at that confession shocked everyone except for Robert and Harley themselves. Luna had known there was more to Robert's past then he was letting on, but having been Harley's lover had _not_ been it. Shuu didn't know what to think. He knew Robert had no problem with that kind of thing, but he hadn't known Robert was like that himself. Or at least, that's what he told himself. As for Jupetta-chan and Noctus-chan, they didn't know _what_ to think.

"You're lying!" Noctus-chan accused, narrowing his eyes in total distrust. "Tell him Harley." Harley said nothing, all of a sudden finding his boots to be immensely fascinating.

"You seem jealous," Robert pointed out calmly. Noctus-chan's face immediately flushed, though from embarrassment or anger, no one could be sure.

"Me, jealous because of _him_? Yeah right. But if you knew him for some long, don't you think we'd remember you?" Robert shook his head, not seeming to be deterred in the slightest.

"No, not necessarily. You hadn't evolved by the time we broke up. I'm assuming that your younger days are a bit sketchy… Though if you think hard enough, you may remember a young blond boy occasionally coming over." Now that he mentioned it, Noctus-chan _did_ remember a little about a boy who used to visit his master when they still lived in the mansion… But that had been a long time ago, and he didn't remember much from his days as a Sabonea except for events focused on Harley or Kagebouzu-chan…

"…Did you have shorter hair back then?" Jupetta-chan questioned curiously. Robert nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, quite a bit shorter." Jupetta-chan looked satisfied.

"Okay, I think I remember you… Just a little though. Were you the boy Harley-sama used to sneak off to play with cause your parents didn't like him?" Harley finally looked up, completely surprised. How had Jupetta-chan remembered _that_? Robert and Noctus-chan were also shocked; Robert for the same reason as Harley, and Noctus-chan because he hadn't known that and he was older!

"Why, yes… My parents didn't like Harley very much, so we rarely got to see each other unless we were sneaking around…" Luna, living up to the cat-stereotype, had a million questions.

"Is that why you broke up? Because of your parents?" Robert chuckled, though it was painfully obvious that it was devoid of any humor. Harley looked back down again.

"No, not at all. Harley's parents loved me almost as if I was their own son. My parents would never have cut off ties with them… They cared too much about their status with such a big family to do something like that…" Luna's eyes got a glint to them at the insinuation.

"Status, mansions… You two are rich, aren't you?" Noctus-chan scoffed at her enthusiasm.

"And you're a typical Nyasu, aren't you? Caring about money…" Luna stuck her tongue out at him, but he ignored her. "Come on Robert, if it wasn't your parents, what was it?" He wanted to hear something like Harley had been a slut and cheated on him, something to make Jupetta-chan forget about the coordinator and focus on _him_. So he was rather surprised when Robert smiled at him.

"Well, I knew he wasn't in love with me. True, he loved me as a friend, even as a brother, but I never held his heart. He already knew whom he wanted, and I wasn't it, no matter what he said. So I broke up with him." Well, no one had been expecting _that_. From the sound of things, he'd been _crazy_ for Harley…

"Who was it?" Maybe this was his chance! Robert would tell everyone who Harley really loved, and Jupetta-chan would be all his—

"Why, the two of you of course." —and what the hell was he talking about!

"Us?" Jupetta-chan questioned, cocking his head to the side. "We already knew he loves us…"

"Please Robert," Harley finally spoke up, "don't…" But it was too late to stop now. It was time everyone knew the truth. Robert was sick of seeing the three of them fight. And he knew he couldn't fully move on unless he knew Harley was happy…

"Yes, but did you know that he's loved you since he was ten-years-old? Did you know that he loved you, despite the fact you were pokémon? Did you know that for the three years we had a relationship, he always said your names when we slept together? Because he didn't. He didn't even realize what he said. And whenever I tried to bring it up, he'd deny it. He was afraid, so he stayed with me because I was safe. Nevertheless, I knew he wasn't happy, so I broke up with him. After that, we went our separate ways as coordinators, and you both evolved mere weeks later. And now that you're humans, he loves you and he can finally show it. But first, he needs to face the fact that he loves you _both_. Don't you Harley?"

Harley was trying his best to stay calm. Robert was bringing up memories he wished he'd never have to think of again… He knew Robert had loved him, and he felt horrible that he hadn't been able to return that love. He'd tried, but he just couldn't. He was sick and twisted; he was in love with his pokémon. Not the normal love most trainers felt, but honest-to-God romantic love. He'd tried to ignore it, hoping his feelings would go away, but they never did. He'd done a good job hiding it though… At least he hadn't stopped repressing his feelings until they became humans. Still… He knew he was sick, and now everyone else knew it too.

"…All right Robert; you got your point across. I was a horrible boyfriend who had a perverted obsession for his pokémon. Is that what you wanted me to say? Well, there, now I've said it. I hope you're happy." Robert frowned slightly.

"Harley, that's not—" But it was too late. Harley had taken off down a random tunnel without so much as looking back. Robert sighed. This wasn't going at all as planned…

"I'm going after him." The surprises kept on coming at Noctus-chan's announcement. "I have some things I want to ask him… You guys stay here. That means you too Jupetta-chan…" The boy nodded, hoping the older hybrid could bring back his lover. He didn't know what the big deal was; after all, he'd loved Harley when he was a pokémon…

Before anyone could protest, Noctus-chan ran after Harley, leaving the others to wait until they returned.

* * *

By the time Noctus-chan finally caught up with Harley, he was beginning to see why this was called the "Ice Cave." It was getting noticeably colder, and he could see little patches of ice here and there. In fact, if it wasn't for Harley slipping on one of those patches and almost falling on his face, Noctus-chan might have had to chase him even longer. But as Harley groped at the cave wall to regain his balance, Noctus-chan finally got close enough to grab his arm and prevent escape. 

"Let go Noctus-chan," he demanded half-heartily. "I know you don't like me. You've made that painfully obvious. I don't understand why, but I guess that doesn't matter. You love Jupetta-chan and you hate me. And now since he probably does too, you can have him and I'll be alone again…"

"What are you talking about?" the hybrid snapped, not understanding what he meant. "Of course he doesn't hate you. He loves you damn it, and he has for a long time. I bet he's ecstatic to know you've wanted him for so long. And as for me, I have to put up with you if I want to stay with him so quit worrying."

"How can I?" Harley sighed, sounding positively miserable. "I love _you_ too if you weren't paying attention to Robert's little announcement. I used to _say your name_ when we fooled around. And you only put up with me because of Jupetta-chan! I thought we were so close… I love you; I can't stop worrying!" Noctus-chan let go of Harley's arm, not able to meet his gaze.

"…You don't mean that…" Harley felt something in him snap, and he slapped Noctus-chan in the face, tears welling up in his eyes.

"The _hell_ I don't! What's wrong with you! I dress like you, use you in every contest, hate people if they even _insinuate_ that you aren't the greatest pokémon in the world… And you think I don't love you? Wake up! I've loved you since the day I got you. You were my first pokémon, and that's something not even Jupetta-chan can have. So open your eyes and realize that **_I love you_**! I always have and I always will!" He finally began to cry, sinking to his knees despite the cold floor. Noctus-chan rubbed his stinging cheek and felt his resolve melting. Did he have it all wrong?

_No shit. You **know** he loves you. You're just scared. Scared that he'll get bored of you and leave you all alone. You've always been scared of that, haven't you?_

And almost as if the proverbial light bulb was being turned on, Noctus-chan had an epiphany.

'_I... I have, haven't I? When Jupetta-chan said he loved him, I wasn't just jealous of Harley, I was jealous of both of them. I didn't want to be left alone… I…'_

"I love you too." Harley looked up, not quite believing what he'd just heard.

"What…?" Noctus-chan got down one his knees and looked his master square in the eyes.

"You heard me. I love you too. I… I was scared that you only wanted Jupetta-chan… Of course, I'll have to kill you if you tell anyone that." It was the last part that made Harley know that his precious buddy was telling the truth, not just trying to make him feel worse. His tears stopped, leaving him smiling shakily.

"…We're all a bunch of idiots, aren't we? If we had all just told the truth at the beginning…"

"Then we'd have bypassed these last few days of utter hell," Noctus-chan finished, smirking wryly. "Yeah, but we _have_ always done things the hard way. …It builds character." Harley laughed, feeling better than he had in a long time. He felt so… Free. He'd have to remember to apologize to Robert later. He should have realized his friend had a purpose for telling about their past. And speaking of apologies…

"I'm sorry I hit you," he whispered, gently touching the back of his hand to Noctus-chan's cheek, just as he had that morning. This time, the hybrid leaned into the touch. "Does it hurt?"

"No," he murmured, enjoying the physical contact. "You hit like a girl…" The soft touch instantly ceased, and he found himself pinned to the cave floor, Harley smirking down at him.

"Do I now? Well, maybe I should show you where my _real_ strengths lie…" Before the hybrid could ask what the hell he was talking about, Harley closed the gap between them, pulling him into a burning kiss. Needless to say, it was completely unlike the sweet kiss he'd received from Jupetta-chan, or the kiss he'd seen Harley and Jupetta-chan share. No, this kiss was hot and heavy. This kiss involved tongues exploring each other's mouths. This kiss... was complete with Harley's roaming hands. He sighed in pleasure as the other man's hands caressed their way down his body, seeming to know all of the right places to stop. It felt so _good_.

No, good was an understatement. It felt _perfect_.

All too soon, Harley pulled away. His cheeks were flushed and he was panting, Noctus-chan looking the same way. The hybrid tried to bring him down for another kiss, but Harley reluctantly stood up, knowing that if they continued on he wouldn't be able to control himself. He wanted Noctus-chan's first time to involve Jupetta-chan… And to be somewhere a _bit_ nicer than a cold cave floor.

"We can't do this here… We need to get back to the others… To Jupetta-chan. He should be here too. …Why isn't he?" Noctus-chan had the decency to look sheepish, not wanting to admit that he hadn't wanted the younger hybrid to come because he'd planned on breaking his promise and beating him up…

"…I told him to stay so he wouldn't get hurt chasing after you…" Harley didn't believe it for a second of course, but he let it go, instead helping the male up.

"All right… Now come on love, we should get back before they worry too much." Noctus-chan smiled slightly at the term of endearment and kept a tight grip on Harley's hand, wondering why he'd even pretended he didn't want this…

'_Oh well, he's mine now… **And** I still have Jupetta-chan. Damn, I'm lucky_.'

As they walked back, Harley thought the exact same thing.

* * *

Jupetta-chan sat patiently, waiting for his lovers to return. Robert was fidgeting, something he rarely did, hoping he hadn't gone too far. Luna was watching them both to pass the time. She wished she could see what was going on… It was sure to be interesting. And Shuu was going through more inner torment. 

'_So, Robert used to date Harley… And they had a sexual relationship for three years… That made them thirteen when it started and sixteen when it ended. That wasn't that long ago… But Harley has loved those two for a **long** time. It's… Kinda weird. But kinda not. It **should** seem strange, but… It sorta makes sense. Why he's so attached to them, why he hates Haruka for calling them scary… And Robert. He really used to love him. Does he still? …Why should I care? It's not like **I** like him or anything…_'

"Do you think I went too far?" Robert spoke up, breaking the silence that had prevailed since Noctus-chan had left. Luna shook her head, glad for the conversation.

"No, I think it'll do them some good. Harley might have never told Noctus-chan how he felt otherwise. I see where you're going with this… All of the fighting was starting to give me headaches!" Robert laughed lightly, understanding completely.

"That's true… But still, that wasn't the only reason…"

"Oh?" she asked curiously, craving the latest gossip. "What other reason could you possibly have?" Shuu pretended not to pay attention, but he was secretly just as, if not more, interested as Luna.

"I need closure. We both do. We don't have it quite yet, but if those two come back without killing each other, I think we will. I need to know he's happy before I can find happiness with someone else; I really _did_ love him after all. He was my first love… But I have a new love now, and I'd like to have a chance with him…" He looked over to Shuu, but the boy refused to stop staring at the wall. He didn't like Robert, Robert didn't like him, and that was that. He _must_ be talking about someone else… Robert sighed. This was going to take a lot more time…

Luna gave him a sympathetic look. That just confirmed her suspicions. Robert was in love with Shuu. She thought that was great, but unfortunately, either the boy had no feelings for the blond, or he was repressing them… Quite truthfully, she had a good feeling it was the latter option.

"Harley-sama!" Everyone looked up as Jupetta-chan squealed in delight, finally seeing his master coming back. "Noctus-chan!" And the hybrid was with him.

And they were still holding hands.

Jupetta-chan got up from the rock he'd been sitting on, running over and throwing himself into their arms. They smiled and hugged him, neither showing any hostility to the other. Robert smiled at the sweet sight. He _had_ been right after all… Well, that was all he needed to know. Now he just needed to work on Shuu. Perhaps it was high time to let his best friend in on his problem… Harley had always liked this sort of thing after all…

"So, I assume everything is all right then?" Harley looked up at Robert's question, not bothering to hide the smile that overtook his face.

"Yes, everything's perfect! Oh Robert, I'm so sorry! You were just trying to make me happy and I got pissy with you… Forgive me?" Robert chuckled, nodding his head good-naturedly.

"Of course, you _are_ the same Harley after all… I've learned to deal with your moods." Harley stuck out his tongue, feeling the nostalgia flood over him. Perhaps the biggest mistake he'd made was ending their ten-year friendship when they'd broken up. He was definitely going to rectify that… Starting with finding out who he liked nowadays then next time they were alone.

"Yeah, whatever… Oh, wait! I almost forgot! Noctus-chan and I finally found some ice! Maybe that orb is down where we just came for!" Luna's eyes lit up at the notion.

"Well then, what are we waiting for! We've hung around long enough; let's go troops! Come on! One, two, three, four, march!" Everyone rolled their eyes at her enthusiasm, not-so-quickly following behind her. Jupetta-chan took his lover's hands as he had earlier, happy that they were finally getting along.

"Does this mean you love Harley-sama too, Noctus-chan?" The older hybrid nodded, squeezing his hand slightly.

"Yeah, I do. That okay?" Jupetta-chan grinned widely, his eyes shining.

"Of course! Now we all love each other! Yay!" The older lovers shared a look, before leaning down and giving Jupetta-chan identical kisses on his cheeks. He blushed, holding their hands tighter. _This_ was what perfection was. He just knew it.

Shuu watched them, a pang of something he wasn't sure of pulsating through his body. But whatever it was, he knew it had nothing to do with Robert… Really.


	10. Chapter 9

**Project G—Chapter nine (11-01-05)**

It didn't take long for them to find the spot where Harley and Noctus-chan had been, and it took even less time for them to find out why it was called an _ice_ cave… Because five minutes of walking led them to a tunnel filled with ice covered walls and slippery floors. There was ice coating _everything_. In a way, it was good. They knew they were headed in the right direction and thus, that much closer to the Ice Orb. But then again…

It was freaking _freezing_.

And of course, they weren't exactly dressed to be surrounded by ice. Luna kept tugging her skirt down to try and warm up her legs. Harley, Noctus-chan, and Jupetta-chan walked as closely as possible, their exposed midriffs and navels not liking the chilly air. Only Robert and Shuu wore clothes that covered most of their bodies, and even they wished they had a coat, a hat, and some gloves…

"How far do we have to go Luna?" Harley questioned, his bellybutton stinging from the nippy air. "We're all cold!"

"I know!" She snapped, hugging her bare arms around her. "If you haven't noticed, I'm cold too. We have to keep going until we find the orb though, cold or not. At least we hybrids have an excuse; _we_ didn't get to pick out our clothes. _You_ however had the choice of having your navel show or not…" Harley pouted, not liking having his taste in clothing questioned. He liked having his navel showing; it was sexy! Silly girl… She had absolutely _no_ sense of fashion obviously.

"Don't let her get to you," Noctus-chan whispered in his ear. "She's just bitchy cause she's cold. _I_ like your outfit. It's sexy." Harley smirked and gave his fashion inspiration a quick kiss on the cheek. Jupetta-chan, who at such a close proximity had heard the comment, raised an eyebrow.

"Of course you think that," he whispered back. "He dresses like you after all. Harley-sama, will you dress like me sometime?" Harley laughed lightly and gave his younger pokémon his own kiss on the cheek.

"Sure. When we're done saving the world, I'll make a Jupetta costume right away. Anything for such a little cutie." Jupetta-chan blushed and Noctus-chan rolled his eyes at such blatant flirting. It was a damn good thing he wasn't in denial over his feelings for his trainer anymore, or Harley probably would have had a one-way ticket to the cold ground…

As the three lovers talked among themselves, the other three were left alone with their own thoughts…

'_Man, I hope we find that orb soon… It can't be **that** far ahead, can it? No, it **must** be close… Oh, it's soooo cold! Gotta think of something else. Um, money! Money is good! When this whole thing is over, I can sell my story and become rich and famous! TV specials, major motion pictures, a Saturday morning anime, cute little plushie Luna backpacks, hehehe…_'

'_Poor things, they must be so uncomfortable… Especially Luna. At least Harley and his pokémon can keep each other warm… If only Shuu would just admit that there was something going on! I **know** he has feelings for me. Perhaps I should just come out and say something…? No, I can't rush him; I might scare him off. I'll just have to be patient. Hopefully he'll come to his senses soon…_'

'_It's not **that** cold… Okay, so maybe it is, but honestly, Harley doesn't have to whine about it. Look at him, flirting with his pokémon. We're trying to save the world and he's more concerned with his love life… Stupid Harley. Who needs love? Not me. Nope, not at all. I couldn't care less about the opposite sex… Or the same sex! Especially not tall, blond, handsome, sophisticated, dreamy, wonderful— Oh, dammit_.'

Dammit indeed.

Harley, along with everyone else, was completely ignorant to the boy's angst. He was more concerned with the body heat he was absorbing from the Jupetta-chan, who was sandwiched between Noctus-chan and himself. The further in they went, the colder it got… Luna might have been in a snippy mood, but she was right. His clothes, sexy as they made him look, did nothing to keep him warm.

'_It's not like I designed them to be warm… It's usually hot in Hoenn. Hey, since this cave is cold, I bet that fire cave will be really warm! Then we can take off layers and I'll get to see my pretties in little or nothing! Oh, now I wanna get out of here sooner than ever…_'

As Harley walked on, he let his mind wander to thoughts of his pokémon in various states of undress. If anything, it was warming him up at least… Unfortunately, it also meant that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. So when he stepped on a particularly icy spot, he wasn't able to steady himself. And that, of course, led to an obvious consequence…

He slipped and fell flat on his face.

"Harley-sama!"

"Harley!"

Jupetta-chan and Noctus-chan immediately scrambled to help their master up, while the others rushed as fast as possible without slipping themselves. Harley, his face pressed against the ice, attempted to yell something that came out as muffled rubbish. But as the hybrids kept pulling, he eventually got his head up enough to be heard.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" he yelled, not sounding at all pleased with his situation. The hybrids did as they were told, incredulous looks adorning their faces.

"Why?" Jupetta-chan questioned, not understanding why the coordinator would actually _want_ to stay pressed against the ice. "Isn't it cold down there?"

"Of course it is!" Harley snapped, tears of pain forming in his eyes. "But my skin is stuck to the ice! You two are going to rip it off!" Noctus-chan frowned, briefly considering just letting him stay down there. Then he reminded himself that Harley must be in immense pain, and turned to his fellow pokémon.

"Use Will-o-Wisp to melt the ice. He should be able to get up that way." Jupetta-chan nodded hesitantly, not used to being yelled at. He'd _never_ been yelled at before… Pushing it out of his mind, he stood up, and once everyone had cleared out of the way, aimed the attack at the ice surrounding his lover. As it slowly melted into water, Harley became impatient and glared up at the boy.

"Can't you go any faster? The attack is three feet away!" Jupetta-chan didn't know how to react. A lump slowly formed in the back of his throat.

"But Harley-sama, if it gets too close, I might burn—"

"I don't care!" Harley screeched, the tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. "This fucking hurts! Burning would probably feel better! So hurry the hell up!" Not only had he never been yelled at, but he'd also never heard his master swear like that. Too shocked to object, he redirected the flame closer, and within a matter of seconds, Harley was able to push himself up. His exposed flesh was red and raw, and a small patch had been torn away and was bleeding.

Noctus-chan was torn between his two lovers. On one hand, Jupetta-chan had only been trying to help, and he didn't deserve to be yelled at. On the other hand, Harley hadn't been lying when he'd said it hurt like hell… And he had a good feeling that this wouldn't be the only time he'd have conflicting interests.

"Are you alright Harley?" The purple-haired man nodded, tentatively getting to his feet. Robert and Luna, who had watched the whole ordeal with shock and awe, grabbed his arms and helped to steady him. Shuu watched Jupetta-chan watching everyone trying to think of a way to treat Harley's wound. Shuu had barely said two words to him, but he couldn't help but feel bad. It wasn't Jupetta-chan's fault that Harley had fallen. And if it hadn't been for his Will-o-Wisp attack, the only fire attack any of their pokémon had, Harley would probably have been hurt a _lot_ more than he was now. Surely, the poor boy would get a heartfelt apology at any moment…

But Harley just avoided Jupetta-chan's sad gaze, looking anywhere but at his young lover. It was just too much for the boy, and fat tears rolled down his pale cheeks. Shuu watched silently as he turned around and ran off, no one else noticing. Sighing, he carefully walked over to the others, allowing the hybrid a head start so he could have some time to himself before they went after him.

He just hoped he didn't get hurt in the mean time.

* * *

"It's cold." 

"I know."

"Really cold."

"I _know_."

"Really, really—"

"Will you shut up already?" Duana frowned. She'd thought all that sleep earlier would have put him in a better mood…

"I'm just trying to make some conversation… Do you think we're close to the orb yet?" Kieran shrugged, glad he was wearing pants and long sleeves, unlike Duana who donned a skirt and no sleeves at all.

"I don't know. But the boss said it'll get colder as we get closer to the chamber with the Ice Orb. And it's pretty damn cold now, so I'd guess we're almost there. We'd just better hope that girl didn't get there first…" Duana decided to stay away from that one, knowing he'd just blame her for making them miss their chance.

"I wonder who she got to help her… If anyone. I mean, who would believe her in the first place?" Kieran humored her, taking any way to keep his mind off the chilly atmosphere.

"She stole the other two necklaces, remember? All she would have to do is use them on other pokémon, and they'd now she wasn't making it up. Whoever we find with her, I'm sure they'll be two others just like her…" The blonde nodded, seeing the sense in it.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll be Pippi or Purin or something…"

"With our luck they'll be Hellger or Windie…" They sighed simultaneously, hanging their heads, already predicting defeat. They were biologists, _not_ trainers…

As Duana fretted over whether or not her single pokémon would be able to handle whatever they came up against, something caught her attention. She stopped suddenly, causing her partner to look back at her curiously.

"What's wrong?" She looked around, as if looking for something.

"I heard someone… I think they were crying." Her eyes lit up as she saw a small path leading down a tunnel. "Come on, let's check it out!" Without waiting for a response, she took off, Kieran not far behind. Sure, it was just one more distraction, but if there was a person, they might be with the experiment… Besides, he was curious too.

It didn't take them long to reach the end of the tunnel, leaving them in a small room with a large, solitary rock in the middle. On the rock sat a boy who looked to be in his early teens, with black hair and an outfit that looked quite familiar… He was crying over something, and Duana felt her heart break over the sad sight. Maybe he was just a kid that had wandered in the cave and was lost… He _was_ all alone after all…

"Hey, are you all right?" Jupetta-chan looked up at the strangers, surprised that there were other people in the cave. Could they be the people after Luna? She had never described them, so he had no idea. They didn't look evil though… He supposed that as long as he didn't talk about their mission, or the fact that he was a pokémon, it wouldn't hurt…

"My boyfriend yelled at me. He slipped on the ice and I was just trying to help… Now he won't even talk to me! He hates me!" He started crying again, earning him a sympathetic look from the blonde. Kieran stayed quiet, regarding the boy with suspicion.

"Oh, you poor thing. I'm sure he didn't mean it. Sometimes the cold weather just makes people cranky. Like my partner here. …Of course, he's always cranky." Kieran glared at her, but Jupetta-chan giggled. Maybe she was right. Harley couldn't have possibly meant what he said… He loved him after all!

'_I probably shouldn't have run away… I bet Harley-sama and Noctus-chan are worried_!'

"I guess you're right. I should go find him and my friends… I kinda just ran off without telling anyone…" Duana nodded cheerfully. Whoever this kid was, he was all right in her book. Pretty cute too… Too bad he was gay.

"If you want, we can walk with you. We're looking for some people ourselves…" Jupetta-chan nodded, glad for some company. There was no way such a nice lady could be evil…

"Okay! It's this way!" He jumped up, waiting for them to reach him before he started leading the way.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Duana, and this is my partner Kieran. What's your name?" Jupetta-chan faltered ever so slightly, knowing that he couldn't tell them what his real name was, nice people or not.

"Ju. My friends call me Ju-chan." As Duana nodded and started conversing happily with the boy, Kieran started plotting in his mind. This kid wasn't telling the truth about something, and he had a feeling he knew what was really going on. The name, the clothes, the almost transparent cord around his neck…

Besides, how many people had red eyes?

* * *

"…I'm such an idiot." 

"Yes, yes you are." Luna whacked the green-haired boy upside the head, glaring at him.

"Don't say that! He feels bad enough as it is." Harley shook his head, pressing Robert's handkerchief to his slowly healing flesh.

"No, he's right. I can't believe I yelled at him like that… I wasn't mad at him or anything; it just hurt so much that I wasn't thinking…" Noctus-chan understood all too well how anger could get to anyone and felt nothing but sympathy for his lover. If anything, he was pissed at Shuu, who had watched Jupetta-chan run off and had only told them when he was nowhere to be found. Needed time to think his _ass_…

"I'm sure he's fine," Robert reassured, not liking seeing his best friend so upset. "He still has his attacks after all, so he can stand up to anything he comes across." Harley knew it was probably true, but it didn't mean he didn't still worry.

'_It's all my fault… I'm such a bitch! How could I have said that to him? Oh Jupetta-chan, please be okay, I promise I'll never yell at you for no reason ever again. Just be all right!_'

After a few more minutes of searching, they all could swear they heard voices… But no one wanted to look like a total basket case, so they all stayed quiet. Then the voices became louder and clearer, and—

"Jupetta-chan!" Harley ran ahead, _needing_ to see his lover right that second. Noctus-chan sighed and shook his head in irritation.

"Harley, you idiot, you're going to slip again!"

* * *

Jupetta-chan was happily chatting with Duana when— 

"Jupetta-chan!" He immediately grinned when he heard that, and he took off after the voice with complete disregard for the ice covered ground.

"Harley-sama!" Duana blinked as the boy ran off. Jupetta? Was that what Ju was short for? She was glad her parents didn't name _her_ after a pokémon…

'_Wait… Harley? No, it couldn't be… But maybe…_'

She quickly followed her new friend. Kieran also caught the "Jupetta" that had been yelled, and his suspicions were confirmed. Well, they might not have the orb yet, but at least they weren't too late… With that in mind, he ran after his partner.

* * *

When Duana reached Ju-chan, she saw him hugging two violet-haired men, with another man and a boy standing off to the side… 

…And she promptly squealed.

"Oh my God! You're Harley, Robert, and Shuu! You're my favorite coordinators of all time! I've seen _all_ of your contests! I've been following your careers _forever_!" She ran over to them, once again causing Noctus-chan to question why no one was falling, a star-struck look in her eyes. "This is the best day of my entire life!"

When Kieran caught up, he noticed his partner practically drooling over three sweat-dropping men who he identified as those coordinators she was crazy about. She'd liked contests ever since they'd begun, saying it was the perfect opportunity to see gay men in their natural element. Personally, he thought she was crazy, but it kept her from getting into trouble at least… He felt bad about having to ruin her fun, but they had a job to do…

"All right, where is she?" Everyone turned to him, Duana included, and gave him a questioning look.

"What are you talking about?" He looked around the tunnel, answering her in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Just think about it. Jupetta-chan. Red eyes. Close to that Harley guy you like so much who has a Jupetta, which he calls the same thing. And that other guy," he pointed to Noctus-chan, "has yellow eyes. And look at their necks. See anything?" She did as she was told and gasped.

"Those are…" He nodded, then smirked as he spotted a large bolder a bit down the tunnel.

"That's right. If they have the project, the experiment must be with them. So come out you coward, or we'll have to make you come out ourselves!" Luna appeared from behind the bolder, scowling at the newcomers. Duana's face lit up at finally finding their target.

"Lina! Finally! I thought we'd never find you! Now come on, just come quietly—"

"No," she said firmly as she walked closer. "I'm staying with my friends, and we're going to stop you. If we need to fight to make that clear, so be it." She reached her fellow companions and unsheathed her claws. "And for the last time, my name is LUNA!"


	11. Chapter 10

**Project G—Chapter ten (11-24-05)**

"You got it," Kieran smirked, pulling two monster balls from his belt. "Let's get this over with. Ready Duana?" The blonde nodded, albeit hesitantly, and expanded her own monster ball.

"Sure…" Looking a lot more confident than he felt, he tossed the balls in the air, determined to win this fight no matter what.

"Good. Now, go! Airmd and Kucheat!" Following her partner, Duana flung her monster ball, not liking the fact that she had to fight, but knowing there was no alternative.

"And Powalen too!"

The three pokémon stood in front of their masters, ready to battle whatever came their way. With baited breath, the two humans and three pokémon stood attentively, waiting for their adversaries to begin the battle… And they waited, and waited, and waited… And after two minutes of no response, Kieran snapped.

"What the hell is taking so long? Are we gonna battle or what?" Finally, Luna retracted her claws and spoke up, voicing the thoughts the others had.

"…You guys call yourselves the Darks… So, you know, shouldn't you have dark type pokémon? Not steel and normal…" The others nodded in agreement. Shouldn't the bad guys follow their own theme?

"Not that it's any of your business," Kieran growled, bunching his fists at his sides, "but we're only called that because that's what our boss calls us. _He_ has dark pokémon. _We_ got our pokémon long before we ever met him, and _I_ happen to like steel pokémon. Now can we get this damn battle over with already?"

"If you insist," Robert spoke up, stepping in front of the group, "then I suppose we have no choice. However, I believe that I can handle this on my own…"

"No," Shuu insisted firmly, moving next to the blond man, "I have regular pokémon too, so I'll battle with you. Two against one isn't fair, even if they _do_ probably suck…" Robert smiled down at the boy, causing the faintest of blushes to appear on his face…. This, of course, did not go undetected.

"Aw, that's _so_ sweet! Two rival coordinators, working together for the good of humankind and pokémon-kind alike! Oh, are you two dating? You make an adorable couple—" Kieran hit his partner upside the head to shut her up, glaring at her as Shuu's blush deepened and Robert smiled in a very bemused manner.

"Whose side are you on? Stop being such a fangirl and get ready to battle already!" Sighing, she turned her attention to the battlefield. Kieran was no fun… But judging by their reactions, she knew that they were either together or extremely close to being so. Now she _really_ didn't want to battle them…

"Look lady, whatever relationship Robert and I have is none of your business! Go Frygon!"

"Milokaross, Nendoll, let's get this done with!" Soon there were three more pokémon out. Luna regarded them appreciatively. Milokaross in particular caught her attention. If Robert had such a rare pokémon, he _must_ be good.

"Do they have any other pokémon?" she asked Harley, seeing as how the two trainers in question were current engaged in a glaring match with their adversaries.

"Robert doesn't, but Shuu has a Roselia and an Amemoth. I'm guessing he picked Frygon since it's part ground. After all, it _will_ have the advantage over the steel pokémon. So will Nendoll… And Milokaross should be more than a match for that Powalen. Really, this battle is in the bag. I'll give it five minutes at the most." Luna hoped his confidence was well placed. She'd never seen them battle before, but surely, no one would hire lackeys who were incompetent…

…Right?

"Let's get this done! Kucheat, use Bite on Milokaross; Airmd, use Speed Star!"

"Powalen, use Hail!" As Powalen transformed into its ice form and the steel pokémon dashed towards Milokaross, Robert and Shuu shared a look that amounted to, _"Who do they think they're kidding?_"

"Destruction Beam!" came the identical commands. Before Kieran or Duana could even process what they'd heard, Nendoll and Frygon were powering up their attacks. "And Hydro Pump for you Milokaross!" Seconds later, three rays were firing at the unsuspecting pokémon, not even giving them enough warning to dodge. All three attacks hit head on, slamming the Darks's pokémon into the cave wall.

"Come on, get up! We have a battle to win!" When the smoked cleared from the area, it was painfully obvious that they'd be doing no such thing. "Oh, dammit! Kucheat, Airmd, return!"

"Oh Powalen, I'm sorry! You return too…" As they recalled their pokémon to their monster balls, they were met with the haughty smirks of their opponents, and the laughter of the audience. "What's so funny?" Noctus-chan was the first to calm himself to answer the poor woman's question.

"You guys _suck_! Just one attack knocked out your pokémon; how pathetic is _that_? What, have you never battled before? Cause it sure as hell looks like it!" Duana blushed at the accusation. Kieran growled, but didn't deny it. They weren't trainers; they realized and accepted that. But still, they didn't think they'd lose _that_ quickly…

"Noctus-chan is totally right! Wow, I can't believe you actually expected to capture me!" Luna's attitude certainly wasn't helping any. "Well, we've won either way, so why don't you just get out of here already?" Kieran couldn't believe her audacity. Did she really think they were just going to leave and admit defeat? They weren't scared that they were heavily outnumbered by seasoned professionals or that there were three pokémon ready to blast them if need be… Then again, Kieran wasn't _stupid_…

"Fine, you win… For now! But only because we weren't ready. Next time we'll win!" Duana nodded hesitantly. She knew that the only way they'd ever be ready would be to get stronger or catch stronger pokémon… Somehow, she knew something bad was going to come of all this… "Let's get out of here Duana; we'll let the idiots freeze to death down here…"

As they walked away, probably not having the slightest clue where they were going, Robert and Shuu recalled their pokémon. Everyone wore triumphant grins at the effortless win. If all of their battles were this easy, the world would be saved in no time! Of course, the mysterious boss was probably a force to be reckoned with, but he certainly couldn't hire decent subordinates…

"Well… That was certainly easy. So, let's get going then! We must be really close… It's freezing down here!" Luna was met with glares that said, "_We know you dolt_." Before she could say anything more to earn her the title of "Queen of the Obvious," she looked around before heading down a random side path. The others followed, sincerely hoping that she knew where she was going…

And in the back of their minds, they wondered if things could _really_ be that easy…

* * *

They continued walking for a while in the silence they were so used to. The only person with brand new thoughts was Harley. He was still kicking himself for losing control and yelling at his young lover. He had to think of some way to make it up to him… Of course, it'd have to wait until they were some place they weren't in danger of hypothermia… One thing was sure though—it was going to be _good_.

He was brought out of his reverie by a tug on his sleeve. He looked towards the source of the disruption and was met with the curious eyes of the boy he was just thinking of. The hybrid didn't _seem_ upset… Harley let out a sigh of relief. Just knowing that he was already forgiven made him feel much better.

"Harley-sama? Are you okay?" Harley nodded, slipping his hand into the smaller boy's.

"Of course. Now that I have you back, everything is perfect… Even if it _is_ still cold." Jupetta-chan giggled, putting his other hand in Noctus-chan's, earning him a faint smile. The older hybrid was glad that his lovers were already getting along again. He'd been afraid for a while after Jupetta-chan had run off… But now that they were all together again, he felt more confident than ever that they'd find that stupid orb soon.

"Hey guys…" Luna slowed down her pace, staring at a part of the wall intently. "I think… I think the orb is in here." Before anyone could state the obvious fact that she was looking at a solid _wall_, she began feeling around for something… The others quickly caught on, remembering that the whole reason they were even in the cave was because Luna had hit a secret switch.

They all began examining the wall, pressing and prodding every part they could get their hands on. Between the six of them, they covered a good chunk of the wall, and within a few minutes, they had several feet of wall fully examined… Still, there was no secret door, stairway, or holes.

'_Damn cave. Damn coldness. Damn orb. Damn wall. Damn damn damn damn damn!_' Harley mentally chanted the curse as he searched his section of the wall. '_All I want to do is get out of this cave and have some alone time with my pokémon. Is that really too much to ask? I haven't even had a chance to make out with Jupetta-chan… Hell, I barely had any time with Noctus-chan! Dammit, I haven't gotten laid in **forever**…_' Of course, thinking such thoughts was only bound to cause problems, so he quickly banished them from his mind. Growling at his bad luck, he hit his head against the wall in frustration…

…And a few feet away from him, a part of the wall slid away, revealing a new room.

"You did it Harley-sama!" Jupetta-chan bounded over to the coordinator and threw his arms around his waist. Harley blinked in amazement, but didn't question his dumb luck. Maybe this was a sign… A sign that sex was in his future! With a grin, he picked an ecstatic Jupetta-chan up bridal style and went as quickly as possible to the new opening.

"Come on, let's get that orb, and get out of here! Woohoo!" Without questioning his sudden good mood, the others followed, hoping beyond all hope that this would be it.

* * *

"So… This is it?" Luna nodded slowly, her eyes wide in amazement.

"Yeah. It is." They gazed up at the glowing blue orb. This _was_ it. All they had to do was take it and find a way out, and they'd be halfway to their goal. Without another word, Luna walked up to the pedestal that the orb rested on and reached out—

"Just _what_ do you think you're doing?" Luna quickly pulled back her hand, looking for the source of the voice. A swift glance around the room showed… Nothing. Thinking that maybe she'd been hearing things, she reached out again—

"Look, if you touch that, I'm going to bite your hand off."

"Okay you guys," the anxious Nyasu ground out, spinning around to face them, "this _isn't_ funny."

"But Luna," Jupetta-chan said worriedly, still safely in Harley's arms, "that wasn't us… We heard it too." Luna gulped audibly, scanning the room more thoroughly. If it wasn't any of them, that meant someone else was in the room with them. And since she knew they hadn't been followed, that someone must have already been in the room…

'_I knew things were going too well to be true…_'

"Well, well," the voice began, "it looks like someone thought they could just waltz right in here and steal the orb. Did you really think it would be left unguarded?"

"I was hoping," she mumbled, but the voice continued as if it hadn't heard her.

"I am Tsurara, the guardian of the ice orb, and I will not allow you to take it! Now leave this place before I am forced to take action!" Luna stood her ground, not about to let this stand in her way. They'd come too far to turn around now!

"I won't!" she yelled firmly. "We've been through hell and back to get this thing, and we're not leaving without it!" The sound of laughter filled the chilly air.

"If that's the way it must be…" Luna gulped as she finally noticed a figure stepping out of the shadows. And when it revealed itself—

Luna blinked.

"You're… You're a Nyula! And a human too!" The Nyula woman snorted, putting a hand to her hip.

"What, you were expecting a Freezer? Koori is too busy too watch this damn thing himself, so I got stuck doing it. As for the human thing, mostly humans try to steal it, so he thought it'd be better if I could morph from state to state to stop them…" She took a closer look at the group and smirked. "Well, well. It looks like I'm not the only one to have such an ability, am I little Nyasu? But enough about me. Why do _you_ want the orb so badly?"

"My name is Luna," she started, hoping that some familiarity would help the situation. "I'm half human because of the necklace I'm wearing. Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan over there have them too." Both hybrids waved nervously, wishing she'd leave them out of this. "And you see…"

Luna told the story of the Darks and their horrid experiments, her escape, when she'd met the others, their latest fight… Leaving out some of the romantic details of course. Tsurara listened intently, obviously not getting much entertainment guarding the orb. When Luna finished, Tsurara picked up the orb and played idly with it as she digested the tale. The others watched the two, wondering if she believed their story. Either way, they hoped it didn't take much longer; this room was the coldest yet!

"I suppose," she said at last, placing the orb back on its pedestal, "that I have no choice. Your story fits the prophecy, so—"

"Prophecy?" Luna exclaimed, cutting her off. "What prophecy?" Tsurara looked surprised for but a moment, before sighing.

"It figures you wouldn't know about it. Really, who ever knows these things when they're involved? It seems the only ones who _do_ know are the idiots who want to steal it for evil… Anyway, I guess I might as well tell you. Koori told me that the only way I was to let anyone take the orb was if they were the chosen ones. The Exalted. They would save the world and the entire pokémon race from darkness and slavery. A group of ten, five humans and five hybrids, would need to retrieve the two orbs and bring them together for the final battle against the darkness. Only through their friendships and love would they be able to get to the orbs though. And by looking at the lot of you," she looked specifically at Harley and his pokémon, "I'd say you have that down. However, I will caution you that if you intend to find the fire orb as well, you'll need to become even closer." This time she looked towards Robert and Shuu.

"Okay… Well, not that I'm ungrateful that you're giving us the orb or anything, but um, there's only six of us, not ten…" Tsurara chuckled, finding the Exalted more amusing than she'd have thought.

"Not yet, but two more hybrids and two humans and you will be. The prophecy only says you'll be ten before the final battle; it says nothing about before that time. And somehow I just know it's you…" She stepped closer and put her hand to Luna's face, causing the girl to blush uncontrollably. "You're _much_ too pretty to be anything but one of the Exalted. Whoever your destined mate is, they are _extremely_ lucky."

"I, um, you see…" She trailed off as Tsurara pulled away and grabbed the orb.

"This is a big responsibility, but I'm sure you can all handle it. From now on, you won't only be searching for the second orb in the south, but also your remaining comrades. As long as the darkness doesn't possess both orbs, you will be fine. But be aware that they are also after the fire orb and will come after the ice orb as well. Guard them with your lives. The human and pokémon species depend on it." She held the orb out, which Luna took carefully and held close to her as if it would break. It wasn't very big; she could hold it in the palm of her hand. "Take this too. It will make it easier to carry. I'd suggest that you leave it in the possession of one of your human members." She handed Luna a cord that was obviously meant to be attached to the orb and worn like a necklace.

"Thank you Tsurara. This means a lot to us." She smiled, leaning down and kissing Luna's cheek, causing her blush to flare up again.

"It's my duty, sweet Luna. Now you must go. You still have a long way to go in your journey. Be safe, oh Exalted ones." With that, she stepped back and waved to them. Before they could say a word, the room began to spin and the next thing they knew, they were standing outside in the same spot they'd been in before they'd entered the cave.

"…Well, that was informative." Luna turned around and smiled at Robert, nodding.

"Yeah. A prophecy… I never knew this was so important…" She took the cord and placed it to the orb, not overly surprised when a glowing blue light filled her vision. At this point, not much at all could surprise her. When the light died down, a necklace the size of her own was in her hands. Without another thought, she walked over to the others and offered the necklace to the blond.

"Here, I think you should keep this one. You're really responsible," she smiled sheepishly and turned to Harley and Shuu. "No offence…" Harley shrugged with a smile.

"No problem. I _know_ Robert's more responsible than me." Shuu looked hurt for a few seconds, but nodded nonetheless.

"Yeah, fine. He can have it…" Luna immediately understood the problem; Shuu was the only one without anything special currently. Harley had his pokémon as humans, the hybrids had the Project Gs, and now Robert had the ice orb…

"You can have the fire orb," she assured, not wanting to see the boy moping, something he'd been doing far too much of lately. "Then you and Robert can be the keepers of the orbs! That's pretty cool!" Robert nodded, calmly taking the necklace and putting it around his neck.

"Yes, I agree. We'll have quite the connection Shuu." Said boy shrugged, not looking the man in the eyes.

"Whatever…"

A tension-filled silence filled the air. Jupetta-chan, who was finally on his own two feet, didn't understand what the tension meant like the others and thus was the first to break it.

"Shouldn't we get going? That lady said we had a long ways to go. And if we have to go all the way to the other side of Hoenn…" That was right, they all realized. They had a _long_ way to travel…

"Well then, let's get going!" Once again taking the role of leader, Luna started walking, trusting her friends to follow.

'_My friends… Tsurara said love and friendship would keep us together. Harley, Jupetta-chan, and Noctus-chan are in love. Robert and Shuu too, though Shuu won't admit it. Harley and Robert are best friends… Were does that leave me? Sure, we're friends, but I'm not that close with any of them. I guess I'm the closest to Robert and Noctus-chan, but everyone's taken. Maybe one of the people we'll meet will be my lover...? That'd be… Nice_.' She thought back to how nice Tsurara's touch and kiss had been. '_Really nice_.'

And with that, they were on to their next adventure.


	12. Chapter 11

**Project G—Chapter eleven (11-25-05)**

"Wake up little Momoiro. It's time." A small pink haired girl yawned, rubbing her eyes sleepily before staring up at the voice.

"Big sister?" The older girl smirked, standing up and waiting for her younger sister to do the same.

"The boss contacted me while you were sleeping. The imbeciles finally screwed up big time. Seems that they let the experiment and her little friends get the ice orb. They're all on their way to the fire cave now, and the boss wants us to get there before anyone. We can't afford to let this one get messed up too. Are you ready to go? I'm sure it'll take them a while to get down there, but we'll wait for them just in case." Momoiro nodded, taking her sister's hand and holding tightly.

"Of course big sister. I'm ready whenever you are." With one last smirk, the older girl led the way out, leaving their little room alone in the darkness.

* * *

The Exalted, as they'd just found out they were called in a prophecy, had headed in the general southern direction in good spirits. They chatted about whatever came to mind, from their latest battle to how beautiful, and warm, the weather was. Luna had asked about pokémon contests, wondering why Duana had known who the boys were.

Robert had told her about how he and Harley had been coordinators since the profession first became available and Shuu was a young heartthrob. Shuu, after blushing, told her how things worked, from the appeals to the battling. Harley told her about some of the jerks on the circuit, especially a "whiny little brown-haired bitch" who said "kamo" _way_ too much. Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan had agreed whole-heartily, and then told her that from a pokémon's perspective, contests were amazing. You got to dazzle large audiences with visually appealing moves, then show off your skills and beat your opponents into the ground!

By the time night fell, they were still discussing contests.

"Haruka isn't that bad. You just over react." Harley growled as he tended the fire.

"I do not! She's annoying! And she has the worst dumb luck in the world!" Shuu rolled his eyes and unrolled a sleeping bag simultaneously.

"You just say that because she beat you twice in a row…"

"And she's the only one to do it! It's nothing but dumb luck!"

"Maybe she's just better than you."

"Why you little—"

"Calm down!" Robert finally shouted to be heard over them. "Shuu, you must admit that sometimes Haruka's pokémon seem rather… Super human. And Harley, you must admit that she _is_ better at battle strategy. Appeals were always your forte." Harley opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off. "That has nothing to do with your pokémon. But I've seen your battles with her. You get upset much too easily when your pokémon get hurt, and thus you don't always think things through. Appeals are the most important part of a contest anyways. The battles are random and can be won on luck alone, but appeals show true creativity and talent." Harley finally nodded and leaned against Noctus-chan, who was sitting next to him.

"Yeah, I guess… But I can't help it! She has the nerve to call the two loves of my life scary right to my face, then she tries to knock the proverbial stuffing out of them! How can I not be pissed at her?" Shuu snorted, having finished unrolling the last bag.

"It's not like normal people fall in love with their pokémon you know. How was she supposed to know?" Harley bit his tongue before he said something he'd regret. All of the comebacks that came to mind involved Robert and pedophilia. He wouldn't do that to his best friend though. He had no problem with their relationship… He just wished that Robert had fallen for someone a bit less cocky than Shuu.

"Well…" Luna started, racking he brain for a subject to take them away from this bothersome girl, "…how about someone tells a funny story or something?" Robert, catching on to her plot, sat down opposite Harley, and motioned the others to gather round. Shuu sat between Jupetta-chan and Robert, and Luna took Robert's other side, next to Noctus-chan. When they were all seated, Robert cleared his throat.

"This story is about Noctus-chan." Four sets of eyes immediately turned to the surprised looking pokémon.

"Me? You know a funny story about _me_?" Robert smiled, but otherwise ignored him.

"Of course, he went by the name Sabonea-chan back then…" Harley giggled and got a nostalgic look in his eyes.

"You haven't been Sabonea-chan since I was fourteen… If Robert's story isn't amusing enough, I'm sure I can come up with something good." The two eldest coordinators shared a knowing look, and Noctus-chan felt himself tense up. He couldn't really remember too much from his pre-evolved days, but most of what he _did_ remember he didn't think he wanted anyone else to know… Jupetta-chan was perhaps the most curious though. He remembered even less about his lover before they'd evolved, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had been as cranky then as he was nowadays…

"It was the first contest that Harley and I entered…"

* * *

Thirteen-year-olds Robert and Harley had traveled to Kaina City for the first ever Pokémon Contest. They'd been hearing the hype for weeks, and the young lovers made sure they'd be able to brag years from that day that they'd been in the first contest _ever_. After a quick briefing by the MC, with his two daughters looking on intently, they'd begun the momentous occasion with a cheering audience watching.

There were potentially more people watching the contest then both boys could ever remember seeing in one place at a time. Still, they'd been practicing forever, and they were determined to make it to the top! They were going all the way to this "Grand Festival" they kept hearing about!

Robert's appeal had gone well, with Yajiron impressing the crowd. He'd earned a total of 24.1, which was better than some people had received, but not enough to guarantee a spot in the next round. He gave his boyfriend a good-luck kiss before watching as the violet-haired boy took center stage, blowing kisses to the audience all the while.

Harley had always been good at so-called "girly" activities. Cooking was one skill he'd already mastered, and sewing was the other major one. It had helped though, as he had a golden crown and a green costume on that mimicked the patterns on his starter pokémon, Sabonea-chan. The audience was immediately impressed. As long as he had the pokémon they thought he had, this boy obviously understood the meaning of "coordinate."

"Go my pretty buddy, Sabonea-chan!" Robert resisted the urge to grow jealous. Because he wasn't, really. They'd been going out for almost a year, seeing as that day he'd been angsting in his room, he'd finally hooked up with his long time friend and long time crush. They were getting along just fine… It wasn't like Harley was in love with his pokémon or anything…

Really.

Robert forced himself to pay attention as the pretty boy spun around and called out his pokémon. Sabonea-chan materialized, with a cheerful, "Sabo!" and he and Harley waved to the crowd in sync. The judge were very impressed, and nodded to each other. The crowd went wild at how well in tune this duo was, and the sound of the applause was almost deafening.

Sabonea-chan had never been in front of so many people before. He was used to his master showering him with attention, but to have so many people cheering for _him_…

"Sabo! Bonea, sabo!" Harley watched nervously as Sabonea-chan started running around in circles. This was most definitely _not_ what they had practiced. But a bit of quick thinking told him just to go with it. It wasn't like anyone knew what was supposed to be happening, as long as it looked good…

"Sabonea-chan, you shouldn't run you know. You'll trip and hurt yourself." Now, it wasn't as if he _wanted_ his pretty pokémon to fall, but he knew how clumsy he was. And if they could pull this off…

"Sabo!" Sure enough, seconds after he'd said that Sabonea-chan tripped over his own feet and went crashing to the floor. Harley smiled warmly as he picked up his now bawling pokémon and held him close, not at all being bothered by his thorns.

"Now, now, don't cry Sabonea-chan. I love you; I'll never let you get hurt."

If the crowd knew this was completely ad-libbed, they certainly didn't care. The cheering got even louder, with whistle and clapping almost making it hard to hear the MC as he announced Harley's score—a perfect 30.

* * *

Everyone who had been listening to Robert's story, with the exception of Noctus-chan, was laughing so hard that tears were running down their faces. The thought of Noctus-chan _ever_ being that young and naïve was almost surreal. _Especially_ the crying part.

"I remember that!" Harley said after he'd finally calmed down enough to speak. "I got the highest score in the appeal round. No one knew that I hadn't planned the whole thing."

"Well, I did," Robert confessed, "but only because we'd already seen what the other was doing. I just barely made it into the next round…"

"Well, now you just have Milokaross shine and you get in. It really didn't matter anyway, that Adan guy ended up winning with _his_ Milokaross. He had that damn thing shine, and I still got a higher score than him!" Robert laughed, knowing Harley had always had issues with coordinators doing well at appeals when they had a Milokaross that shone and sparkled… But hey, whatever worked.

"Yes, seeing him battle that day made me more determined than ever to have Hinbass evolve… But we're getting off topic. We should be talking about Noctus-chan's younger days. I'm _sure_ we can make his face even redder if we try a bit more…"

"Yeah, well, don't…" No one paid attention to him of course.

"Oh man, I'd kill to go back in time and see that!" Harley grinned at the girl, a devious glint in his eyes.

"Would you settle for watch a tape of it? My parents were in the crowd and taped the _whole_ thing." Luna's eyes lit up and Noctus-chan paled.

"Really? Oh wow, that'd be great!"

"I can watch it too, right Harley-sama?" Harley gave his youngest lover a flirty wink.

"Of course! We can all watch it after we save the world."

"All right," Noctus-chan tried again, "moving on…"

"You now," Shuu mused, getting in his own two cents, "that's something I'd have expected from Jupetta-chan, not you… Well, other than the fact that Kagebouzu don't have feet…" As everyone nodded, Noctus-chan decided it was time to speak up.

"Okay, look. That was a _long_ time ago. I was just a kid! Kids cry! The point is, I have much more self-restraint now and would never run around like a fool. I leave the theatrics to Jupetta-chan." His eyes took of a thoughtful look, and he continued in a soft voice, "Watching him reminds me of myself sometimes…"

"What?" Noctus-chan snapped out of his daze at the question.

"What, what? I didn't say anything!" Jupetta-chan frowned, his face clearly showing that he didn't buy it.

"Yes you did! You said I remind you of when you were Sabonea-chan. Tell me what you mean!" Noctus-chan's face took on a nice shade of pink as he thought about his answer carefully.

"Well… You're sweet Jupetta-chan. You're nice. You're innocent. Everything I lost when I evolved. I think that maybe that's what attracted me to you in the first place…" Jupetta-chan's eyes softened, and he got and walked over to his lover.

"Noctus-chan… I love you." He smiled as he pulled Jupetta-chan into his lap and held him close.

"I love you too kid." There were a few moments of silence as they watched the happy hybrids. Harley in particular thought it was the _sweetest_ thing in the world. It was Noctus-chan himself who eventually broke the comfortable silence. "So… _Now_ can we change the subject?"

They finally relented and spent the rest of the night talking about their travel plans for the next day.

* * *

They woke up early the next morning and did just what they'd decided on the night before— just to keep walking south until they found a sign. None of them had spent much time in the south, meaning none of them knew the area well enough to know where there could plausibly be a cave, let alone a special fire cave that housed the sister orb to the one they already possessed. They hoped to pass by a town or city soon, preferably one with a hotel and a nice restaurant…

"You know," Robert pointed out, "we'll probably go through Hajitsuge Town again." Luna raised an eyebrow.

"Where?" Shuu sighed, wondering if she ever paid attention…

"That's the town you found us in. You know, when you ate, like, fifty pieces of pie. There's a contest hall there. And a nice hotel we can get a good night's sleep in…" She nodded, remembering the place as soon as he'd mentioned pie.

"Yeah, I liked that place… It didn't take us long to find the ice cave, so we should get there pretty soon… Oh, I can taste that cherry pie now!" No one bothered to comment on that…

Harley was already making plans as they walked. He and Robert had plenty of money to rent as many rooms as need be. He was sure that the blond would get a room for him and Shuu to share, and Luna would get her own room… And that would leave him and his beautiful lovers by themselves. Luna could taste the pie, but Harley could taste Jupetta-chan and Noctus-chan…

"Harley-sama, is something wrong?" The coordinator snapped out of his perverted thoughts and laughed nervously.

"Of course Jupetta-chan my dear. Why do you ask?" Noctus-chan snorted shook his head in mock-disgust.

"You're drooling… I don't even want to know what you were thinking about…" He leaned in closely and whispered so only Harley could hear him, "But it sure as hell better have been about me and Jupetta-chan…" Harley blushed and nodded, causing Noctus-chan to smirk knowingly.

"Noctus-chan, what's going on…?"

"I'll tell you later Jupetta-chan. Now, let's play a game called "name everything you can think of that starts with the letter 'Q.'" You start." As Jupetta-chan happily started listing off everything that he could think of, Harley shot Noctus-chan a thankful look. The look he got back clearly said, '_You owe me big time_.'

'_Don't worry_,' Harley thought gleefully, '_not much longer and I'll show you two the time of your lives…_'

Robert watched the entire exchange in a highly amused manner. It wasn't like Harley was promiscuous or anything, but he was certainly no blushing virgin… Even when he _had_ been a virgin. They'd had a healthy sex life… But had a feeling Harley hadn't slept with anyone after him for fear of what he might say in the throes of passion when all he could think about were his _pokémon_…

'_I wonder how long he can hold out… I wonder how long **I** can hold out. At least Harley's dating whom he loves… Now if I could only get Shuu to stop denying the attraction between us. God knows I want him even more than I wanted Harley…_'

Whatever happened in the time before the reached the fire cave, Robert sincerely hoped that it involved him and Shuu becoming romantically involved… He had a feeling that his sanity, and libido, depended on it.


	13. Chapter 12

**Project G—Chapter twelve (12-25-05)**

By that night, just as the sun was beginning to set, the Exalted reached Hajitsuge Town. After the utterly boring day they'd had, a nice distraction was desperately in order. Well, it had been boring for the younger members of the group at least. The eldest two were simply impatient. Harley wanted to have some fun with his lovers, and Robert hoped to talk to Shuu. And now that they were in town, they finally had their chances…

"Yay, a town! Cherry pie, here I come!"

After they finally fed their female friend of course.

"A nice hot meal that isn't ramen _does_ sound rather appetizing…" As much as Harley wanted to get to a hotel, his stomach agreed with Robert. In the past few days, he'd eaten more ramen than he had in his entire life…

"How are those two going to fare in a restaurant?" Shuu questioned, pointing at the two male hybrids. In turn, Harley looked absolutely baffled.

"What in the world are you talking about?" The boys in question were wondering the same thing.

"Luna didn't have the greatest table manners in the world when we brought her to that diner. If we have _three_ people eating like barbarians, we might draw attention…" To say Harley looked absolutely scandalized was putting it lightly.

"Excuse me, little Mr. Know-It-All? I'll have you know that my pretty buddies not only are the coolest and cutest pokémon around, but they also have the best manners in the world! They've probably been to more fancy restaurants in the past year than you have in your entire life!" Shuu, rather than getting upset at the obvious insult, blink in apparent confusion.

"They… What? You take your pokémon to restaurants with you? And they actually eat at the table with you?" Harley was just as confused as the younger coordinator.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" Shuu just kept his mouth shut. He honestly didn't know how to respond to that…

"…Um, so, can we go eat now?" Everyone nodded, the eager brunette's suggestion sounding much better than hearing two stubborn coordinators bickering all night long…

* * *

Luna had fought tooth and claw to go back to the diner and her pie, but Robert had insisted on somewhere a bit more high class. She finally went along with it once Harley told her of all the delicious and expensive desserts she was sure to find wherever Robert brought them. She wasn't sure what Cherry Clafoutis was, but it sure sounded good! 

And true to Harley's words, Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan's manners were impeccable. Shuu later found out from Robert that whenever he would spend the night at Harley's house, Sabonea-chan and Kagebouzu-chan would always eat at the dinner table with them. In a way, Shuu wasn't at all surprised. When it came to Harley, it was getting harder and harder to do.

After they had all eaten, and Luna had half of the desert menu, they paid and left the restaurant in search of a hotel. Hajitsuge Town wasn't very large though, so it didn't take them long at all to find out that a cozy little motel was all the town had to offer. Robert and Harley hoped beyond all hope that there would be three rooms left, or else all of their carefully laid plans would be ruined…

And the higher powers were obviously smiling down upon them, as there were _exactly_ three rooms left.

"All right," Harley said, taking charge as they stood in the hallway in front of their rooms. "There are six of us, and three rooms. But since Luna is a girl, she'll get her own room." She nodded and he gave her a key marked 107.

"Got it!" She broke away from the group and unlocked the door, disappearing into her room with her belongings.

"Now, I'm obviously sharing my room with my pretty loves, so you two will have to share." Giving his best friend a wink, Harley handed the other key marked 109 to Robert, leaving himself with 108. The way the rooms were set up, the odd numbered rooms were on one side of the hall, with even numbered rooms on the other. Robert and Shuu were next to Luna, with Harley and his hybrid lovers across the hall from her.

"Of course," Robert replied with a smile. He turned to Shuu and asked, "That's alright with you, isn't it?" Blushing ever so slightly, Shuu nodded. It wouldn't be that bad. He'd just be in the same room as the older man, not in the same bed or anything. They already had slept close to each other with their sleeping bags; this would be no different…

"Yeah, whatever…"

"Great, it's settled then! See you two in the morning!" With that, Harley gleefully turned to his room, quickly unlocking it and ushering his pokémon inside. Robert shook his head in amusement. He had no idea what his friend expected to happen that night, but he was sure he'd hear about it in the morning…

"Well then, shall we?" Not waiting for a response, he unlocked their door and gestured for Shuu to enter first. Not saying a word, the boy complied. Robert smiled as he watched him enter. If all went according to plan, he'd have his own stories to share in the morning…

* * *

As soon as Harley had everyone settled in their room, he surprised them by saying that he'd "be right back loves, so just wait here a minute, okay?" He left two confused hybrids watching the spot where he'd just been standing. He'd been so eager to get them there, alone, and then he just left them… It didn't make any sense… 

"Where do you think he went?" Noctus-chan shook his head, wondering the same thing himself.

"Who knows… We'll just have to wait and see I guess. Until then…" He looked at the bed, back to Jupetta-chan, and then grinned. "Let's see how much the bed squeaks, shall we?" Before the naïve boy could ask what he was talking about, Noctus-chan pushed him back on the mattress. He landed with a soft thud and looked up at his lover with questioning eyes.

"Noctus-chan, what are you doing?" The older hybrid couldn't help but notice Jupetta-chan large, sparkling eyes radiating innocence. He looked so vulnerable lying there, so trusting, so inviting… So _absolutely delicious_ that he wasn't sure how long he could keep his hands to himself.

"It's just another game, and I _know_ how much you love new games… All you have to do is lie back, relax, and have fun. As long as you do that, we'll both win, okay?" Jupetta-chan smiled and nodded shyly, finally beginning to realize what was happening.

"I get it… Shouldn't he wait for Harley-sama though?" Noctus-chan snorted, crawling on top of his lover and looking him in the eye. One would have to be blind not to notice the _extremely_ apparent lust shining through.

"He'll be back sooner or later. I want you all to myself for a little while. You know, so I can apologize for ignoring you back in the cave when Harley was yelling at you." It was a thin excuse, but it worked like a charm.

"Oh Noctus-chan, you're so sweet! I'm not mad at you though. I love you! Forever and always!" It still amazed the violet-haired hybrid as to exactly how innocent and charming Jupetta-chan could be. So instead of trying to come up with a line to match that display of pure sweetness, he closed the gap between them, bringing his lover into a fiery kiss. Jupetta-chan squealed against the hot mouth attached to his own, surprised by the sudden assault. It didn't take more than a few seconds for him to adjust though, and soon he was kissing back with all the passion he could muster. Noctus-chan would have laughed at his enthusiasm had his own mouth not have been otherwise occupied. He instead settled for reaching down to the waistband of Jupetta-chan's pants—

"Hey guys, I'm—whoa! I leave for five minutes, and you guys start without me?" The two hybrids broke apart reluctantly, Jupetta-chan looking guilty and Noctus-chan looking impatient. He laughed at their flushed faces, pulling out the bottle of chocolate sauce he'd been hiding behind his back. "I ran to the store next door and bought this. Don't you want to use it?" Noctus-chan's eyes lit up.

"Harley… Get over here. Now." The coordinator happily complied, climbing on the bed next to his lovers and looking at them hungrily.

"Let's hope the bed springs aren't too loud…"

* * *

The first thing Shuu did when he entered the room was to set down his bag. The second thing he did was watch Robert as he did the same thing. The third thing he did was look around the room… And almost have a heart attack when he saw the bed. 

The _one_ bed.

One as in, not two, but only one, single, solitary bed.

"Where the hell is the other bed?" Robert gave the boy his best "I'm innocent" look, which wasn't at all convincing.

"Oh my, did I forget to mention that we rented all single bed rooms? I'm afraid it was all they had left…" Shuu glared at the blond, not believing what he was hearing.

"Yeah, I'd certainly say so! How do you just forget something like that?" Robert calmly sat down on the edge of their bed, not saying a word in the process. At the lack of response, Shuu continued, "Well, I'll just sleep on the floor then." That got Robert's attention.

"You can't do that! I paid for this room so we could sleep in a bed for once! You can't just sleep on the hard, cold floor anyway!" Shuu doubted the heated motel's floor would be all that cold, but it _would_ most likely be hard… And he _really_ wanted to sleep in a nice cozy bed…

"Okay then, _you_ sleep on the floor." The look he received gave him his answer. "I'm _not_ sleeping in the same bed as you!" Robert gave him an incredulous look.

"And why not? We've already slept next to each other in sleeping bags, so how will this be any different?" Shuu looked just as disbelieving as the blond, ignoring the fact that he'd just been thinking almost the same thing before they'd entered the room.

"We'll be in the same _bed_. Under the same _covers_. It'll be completely different!" Robert's normally long fuse was already burning short. He'd put up with Shuu's denial for _far_ too long now. If ever there was a time to confront his feelings, he had a feeling that it was now.

"I suppose that I just don't see why you have a problem with it in the first place…" Shuu raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" It was now or never…

"You love me Shuu. I know you do. Harley knows; Luna knows; Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan know, even that crazy girl in the ice cave knows! I just don't know why _you_ won't admit it. Is it because I'm a man? Am I the first male you've ever liked Shuu? Or is it because I'm older than you? Maybe you're afraid of what people will say… You said you didn't care if too men were in love. You said you know what love is. You've said of a lot of things in the last few days, but not the one thing I really want you to say… So tell me Shuu, tell me how you feel about me. I want to hear you say it." Shuu had been looking down at his feet for most of Robert's tirade, and continued to do so after he was done. Robert was beginning to wonder if perhaps the boy wasn't ready to hear all of that…

"Robert?" The blond almost sighed in relief when he finally spoke.

"Yes Shuu?" When he finally looked up, his eyes were full of a rage that actually scared Robert.

"You want to know how I feel about you? Right now, I _hate_ you. I hate how you think you're so perfect. I hate how everyone agrees. I hate that it's probably true. And I _really_ hate how you think you know so much more than I do, especially about love. You know what? Maybe I _do_ love you. But you don't have to rub it in my face! Just because you can never love me back because you're _so perfect_ is no reason to—" He was suddenly cut off by a warm pair of lips covering his own. Shuu eyes widened comically. He hadn't even realized that Robert had gotten up, and now he was kissing him! He pulled away quickly and glared up at the older man.

"Sorry, but I had to stop you somehow. You were being rather ridiculous. First of all, I don't think I'm perfect. Nor does anyone else. Second, I wasn't rubbing it in your face. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but I love you too. And third…" He leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to Shuu's cheek. "Please tell me that you love me." Shuu blushed prettily, in Robert's opinion at least, and looked back down.

"I…" Robert gently grabbed his chin and forced the boy to look him in the eyes. "I love you Robert. I didn't think you could love me, and I didn't want to admit it and look like an idiot… I always thought I'd end up with someone like Haruka. You know, a girl. But… Yeah, I love you." His declaration was met with a smile.

"Shuu… I've waited a long time to hear that. I've been attracted to you since our first contest battle in Kaina City. Now I know without a doubt that I love you too. And I never want to let you go." This time when Robert kissed him, Shuu responded with vigor. After so much time penning up his emotions, it was high time to let them out… And this was as good a way as any.

Robert pulled away a short time after they started, highly amused when he saw Shuu's annoyed expression. Laughing, he pulled away completely and walked over to the bed.

"Well, I'm assuming that you don't have anymore problems with sharing the bed… So why don't we move the activities somewhere more comfortable? I'm willing to go as far as you wish. We can kiss, cuddle, just talk, or more if you'd prefer. We have the rest of our lives after all… We're in no hurry." Shuu's blush deepened at the implications in those words, but he nodded and joined his new lover by the bed.

"Let's just stick to kissing for now… I'm sure Harley and his pokémon are doing enough of those other things for all of us…" They shared a chuckle before Robert pushed Shuu back and attacked his mouth. Shuu had no complaints.

There were no more words for quite some time.

* * *

Luna stepped away from the wall and giggled manically. The combination of her enhanced hearing and rather thin motel walls had allowed her to hear Robert and Shuu's entire conversation. It was certainly about time! She'd been afraid they'd _never_ get together. And she'd thought Harley and the other hybrids had taken their own sweet time… They had nothing on the Exalted's newest couple. 

"Well, now I won't have to worry about any more awkward silences… And I'll get to see more hot guy-on-guy action! Yes!" She did a quick victory dance before suddenly stopping in her tracks.

"Wait… Now I'm the only one who's alone… Sure, it was obvious that Robert and Shuu already liked each other, but still… What about me?" She sat on the end of her bed and flopped backwards, staring up at the ceiling. "…And why am I talking to myself? Oh well."

She thought back to Tsurara in the ice cave and felt herself blush. What she wouldn't give to have someone like that for herself! Strong and determined, pretty and exotic, intellectual and witty… Well, at this point she'd settle for anyone, male or female, as long as they could carry on a semi-intelligent conversation.

'_I never thought I'd want someone to love and to love me in return. I guess becoming a human affected me in more ways than anyone could have imagined. Well… Tsurara said love would keep us together, so there must be **someone** in my future… Man, I hope we find the other Exalted members soon. I need some lovin' too dammit!'_

Sighing, she closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to have someone's arms around her at right that moment…

* * *

Later that night, three very different things were going on in the rooms of the Exalted. 

Luna was peacefully sleeping, holding a pillow close and dreaming of the day that it would be a real person.

Robert was holding Shuu close as they lay under the covers, fully clothed. Shuu had fallen asleep an hour or so ago, but Robert was still awake and watching him sleep. He couldn't wait for this to happen again the next night… And hopefully forever.

Harley, Noctus-chan, and Jupetta-chan were still awake, though Jupetta-chan was very close to drifting off. They were also under the covers, although judging by the clothes that were strewn around the room, they were nude. The bottle of chocolate sauce lay next to the bed. The satisfied expressions they all wore were good indications as to what had gone on earlier that night… And right up to just a few minutes ago.

"…So you and Robert used to do this a lot?" Harley nodded contentedly. "And you fantasized about us?" Another nod. "Wow."

"Yeah, that sums it up." There really weren't any other words to describe the experience they'd just shared…

"I love you guys."

…Except for that.

"Love you too Ju-chan."

"Yes; good night love."

"'Night No-chan. 'Night Harley-sama."

As Jupetta-chan fell into a serene slumber, his lovers held him tightly, feeling closer to each other than they ever had in their lives.

It was truly a perfect night.


	14. Chapter 13

**Project G—Chapter thirteen (01-23-06)**

Harley got up the next morning before his young lovers and somehow managed to untangle himself without waking either of them. He really hated leaving them alone, but he was dying for some tea… His poor body had had a major lack of morning caffeine for the past few days. He scribbled a quick note next to the bed promising that he'd be right back, and that he'd bring back donuts from the free breakfast they'd been promised. After quickly kissing their foreheads, he threw on a complementary hotel robe and made his way to the dining area.

It was a short trip down the corridor and past the small reception hall, and soon enough Harley was in a quaint little dining room with various breakfast foods and drinks laid out. Sure, it wasn't five-star restaurant quality, but it wasn't ramen. And _that_ was the important thing.

And as it was still quite early, he wasn't very surprised to see that there was only one other person there. What _did_ surprise him was that it was Robert.

"What are you doing down here so early? Shuu kick you out or something?" Robert smiled as he sipped his coffee, shaking his head.

"That's not the case at all. In fact… I told him how I felt about him last night." Harley looked astonished, but a smile was clearly present on his face.

"That's great! I'm guessing things went well then?" The blond nodded, pointing over to a counter. Harley was relieved to see multiple tea packets waiting for him. As he picked up a tempting looking peppermint flavor, he asked, "Did you score then?" If it had been anyone but Harley, Robert might have been shocked by such a crude question.

"No, I held him, but we were completely clothed. You however… Did something happen to you?" Harley put his water in the microwave to heat up, then turned around to face his friend. His face had the biggest grin that Robert had ever seen in his entire life. _That_ was certainly enough of an answer…

"Oh, you wouldn't believe how wonderful last night was! I now officially _love_ chocolate sauce. Oooh, Noctus-chan is so rough; I love it! And Jupetta-chan… You wouldn't believe how _big_ his mouth is! And they were _both_ virgins. It was… the greatest night of my life. And," he gave his friend a wink, "I can see why you liked the bottom so much." That got Robert's full attention.

"You…?" Harley nodded cheerfully as the timer on the microwave went off.

"Yeah, and I should have tried it years ago! I'm really surprised none of you heard us…" With Harley's back turned to tend to his tea, he missed the conflicted look on Robert's face. Sure, Harley had been in love with his pokémon since before they were even dating, but still… They'd only actually been together for a few days! And he was already giving up his precious dominance? Robert had never even gotten him to do that!

'_Why should I care what he does? I'm with Shuu, and he's happy. That's what I've always wanted—his happiness. I must just be surprised… Yes, that's it_…'

By the time Harley turned around, cup in hand, Robert was smiling contentedly. He'd just gotten a new lover; he certainly wasn't jealous…

"Well, that's wonderful news. I'm very happy for you. Say, why don't we have breakfast together, just the two of us?" Harley frowned slightly, liking the idea, but knowing that he couldn't.

"Sorry Robert, but I left a note promising I'd be right back up with food. We'll get together after this whole 'save the world' thing, okay? Hey, you should bring Shuu breakfast in bed! I'm sure he'd love that… A lot." The sly smile he got implied just how much he thought Shuu would like it. Robert sighed bemusedly and shook his head.

"Yes, I think I'll do just that. Now, don't you have two certain someones to get back to?" Harley flashed him one last grin and grabbed an entire box of donuts in his free hand.

"Have fun! See you at checkout time!"

The blond's smile disappeared as soon as he was gone. _Why_? Why did he feel like this? He finally had Shuu; old flames shouldn't be in his mind at all… But he certainly was _not_ jealous.

* * *

When Harley got back to his room, Noctus-chan was awake and partially dressed, though Jupetta-chan was still asleep. Harley tossed him the box of donuts, which he hungrily dug into. The hybrid stopped as soon as he looked over the contents though, and he gave them a look of mild disgust, which obviously perplexed the older man… Until he saw what was actually _in_ the box. 

"Argh, did you have to get chocolate?" Noctus-chan asked, sounding a bit ill. "Didn't you get enough of that last night?" Harley's highly amused laughter rang through the room, waking up a confused Jupetta-chan.

"What's going on…? Hey, are those chocolate donuts? Yummy!" He immediately sprang up, leaping across Noctus-chan's lap to attack the box. Noctus-chan's expression changed from ill to ravenous as the naked boy wriggled in his lap. Maybe he _was_ hungry after all…

"You know," he whispered seductively into the younger hybrid's eat as he inhaled the donut, "I can think of a better way that you could eat that…" Jupetta-chan swallowed audibly, looking up with innocent eyes.

"Oh really? Well," he took another donut out of the box, "was this what you had in mind?" Harley watched in amazement as Jupetta-chan put the donut _exactly_ where Noctus-chan had in mind. Well, he'd never expected _that_… And judging by the equally shocked look that Noctus-chan wore, he hadn't either.

"I, uh…" Neither had ever thought they'd see the day when Noctus-chan was at a loss for words, and Jupetta-chan was particularly proud of his accomplishment. Harley shook his head in amusement as they got _close_. He'd never thought that he'd ever get to see his precious pokémon as they were now… But he certainly wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Smiling to himself, he set down his teacup, shrugged off his robe, and joined his lovers on the bed. They still had some time before they had to leave…

* * *

After Harley had left, Robert spent the next few minutes convincing himself that the only reason he was jealous was due to the fact that he'd worked so hard at their failed relationship, when Noctus-chan had just barely started being decent to him and already was granted full access to his ex's body. He remembered Harley once telling him that hell would freeze over before he'd let anyone dominate him… Well, that had certainly lasted, hadn't it? 

He eventually pushed away his sarcasm and sighed. Regardless, he had a beautiful young boy waiting for him, and he'd be damned if he threw it all away just because he was a bit jealous. So he pushed the treacherous thoughts away and grabbed a few pieces of fruit. He wasn't sure what Shuu liked, but he fully intended to find out. There was still so much that he needed to learn… Now was as good a time as any to start.

He was back in their room minutes later, finding Shuu still asleep. He'd expected the boy to be wide-awake and demanding to know where he'd been… But then again, he _was_ only eleven-years-old. No matter how mature he acted, his boyfriend was still young, and this chance for a good night's sleep was probably heaven-sent for him.

Seeing his calm, peaceful, utterly _gorgeous_ face immediately made Robert forget about his jealousy issues. Now he had much more important things on his mind. Like how in the world he was ever going to last spending so much time with him and while trying to keep things innocent… This was perhaps the hardest part of their age difference; Robert had already gone through puberty and had a healthy sex drive, while Shuu was still too young to be thinking of such activities. Yes, it'd be hard, he knew, but he had forever. He could last long enough for Shuu to mature as long as he put his mind to it…

Shuu suddenly started to wake up, yawning and stretching his body like a cat. In the process, the material of his shirt rose up, exposing his creamy white flesh…

…And Robert groaned. This was going to be harder than he'd thought.

"What's wrong Robert?" The blond shook his head, sitting down next to the groggy boy.

"Nothing dearest. I just went downstairs to get some coffee. I wasn't sure what you liked, so I brought you up some fruit." Shuu flushed at the pet name, grateful that it wasn't something even cheesier. Looking over the selection that his lover had brought him, he picked up a banana and peeled it open.

"Thanks. Anything would have been better than more noodles… And I've always liked bananas. That… Was really nice." He leaned up and placed a chaste kiss to Robert's lips, causing the older man to sigh contently. This wouldn't be so bad—

Shuu licked the banana from base to tip, then proceeded to suck on it just like it was something else… Something that most definitely wasn't a fruit. Robert bit back another groan, resisting the incredible urge to take his lover right then and there. And if Shuu realized that his little performance was affecting the older man in any way, he didn't show it.

'_No, this won't be that bad at all… It's going to be pure **hell**_.'

* * *

Luna awoke from her first night of sleeping in a real bed feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. She was still clutching the pillow she'd fallen asleep with. Once she realized this fact, she let go reluctantly, sighing heavily. Her dreams had been filled with a warm body with a gentle voice and a soft touch. Reality was suddenly looking less and less appealing, making her wish she could just fall back asleep… 

But a quick glance at the clock on the bedside stand told her that she only had an hour before checkout time. If she wanted to get any of that free food she'd heard about before they had to leave, she'd have to hurry up and get her butt in gear.

'_They probably don't have pie… Oh well. Maybe they'll have raspberry Danish! That was pretty good last night. Or some of those donut things! Chocolate sounds really yummy_…'

With visions of sugar dancing through her head, she threw on her clothes, gathered her stuff and left it by the door, then headed out said door in search of the dining area. The motel was small, so it didn't take her long at all to find it. And sure enough, there were even more sweet looking pastries than she'd eaten the night before.

Salivating profoundly, she dug in, already planning to pilfer away a few for later.

* * *

Checkout time eventually came, and the Exalted were assembled in the lobby, returning their keys. Harley and his lovers had cleaned up and dressed, with Robert being the only other one to know what they had been up to the previous night. Luna was stuffed with sweets, sure enough having even more stored away in her bag. Robert and Shuu were apparently fine, though Robert still had trouble looking at his lover without having _interesting_ thoughts pop up into his train of thought… 

Soon enough, they left the hotel and were back on their way to the fire cave. They were quiet as they left Hajitsuge Town, though as soon as they reached the woods…

"So, did you two have fun last night?" Robert and Shuu sported identical blushes at the question that was obviously meant for them, if Luna's pointed stare and sly grin were any indication.

"What do you mean Luna?" Jupetta-chan asked from his spot latched onto Noctus-chan's arm.

"She means those two finally quit playing games and hooked up," Harley replied with a grin, having a hold of Noctus-chan's _other_ arm. Shuu flushed more at the statement, but became suspicious at the same time.

"How do you two know that?" Luna giggled, twirling around as she walked.

"I was in the room next to you last night, remember? If you've forgotten, Nyasu have _great_ hearing." She gave them a wink and giggled more, "I must say, your confessions were just about the cutest thing I've heard in my entire life!"

"And Robert told me this morning," Harley told him, much too happy with the current state of his life to be sarcastic. Besides, if he was going to have to be nicer to Shuu anyways, since he was dating his best friend, he figured that he night as well start then.

"Congratulations Shuu!" Jupetta-chan exclaimed, suddenly breaking away from his lovers and glomping the younger boy. "Having an older lover is really fun, isn't it? Oh, did you guys have as much fun last night as we did?" Whether the reemergence of Shuu's blush came from the cute boy hanging off him or from the obvious sexual question, no one knew.

"I… Thanks," was all he managed to stammer. Robert couldn't help but chuckle at his lover's embarrassment. Being the nice guy that he was though, he decided to aid him.

"We had a very nice evening, but I can assure you that it wasn't to the degree that Harley tells me your night was." Jupetta-chan nodded understandingly and went back to Noctus-chan, leaving Shuu to give his lover a questioning look.

"Harley told you what… Oh. That's…" at this point poor Shuu didn't think his skin would ever go back to its normal color, "nice, really great." They all laughed, even Shuu, just because they could. Right now, they weren't saving the world; they were just a group of friends being perverted and having fun. Luna was especially having a blast. She'd never had friends before, and though she didn't have a lover of her own, hearing about all the sexy stuff the hot guys she traveled with did was almost good enough…

"Dodge it Eifie!" Luna suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing everyone to stop laughing and stare questionably at her.

"…Did you guys hear something?" They listened carefully, and sure enough, they hear voices coming from the other side of trees. There were three different voices, none of which sounded familiar. Luna, being as curious as her original species, of course had to investigate. So before anyone could tell her that perhaps it would be better for them just to get on their way, she sprinted through the trees towards the sounds. The five males sighed and reluctantly followed her, hoping that she wasn't leading them towards the enemy.

By the time they caught up to her, she was staring transfixed at something. They were about to ask her what was so interesting, until they saw for themselves…

"Eifie, use Psychic Beam!"

"Upaa, dodge and Water Gun!" A boy with an Eifie and a girl with an Upaa were in the midst of a battle in the clearing, with another boy refereeing. All three looked Harley and Robert's age, and they were quite the group. The boy with the Eifie had short blond hair with the tips dyed blue, blue eyes, and shorts short enough to make most people blush. The girl had blonde hair down to her shoulders held back with a black headband to match her mostly black ensemble and bright green eyes. The last boy had long auburn hair and dull gray eyes, and was dressed much more modestly than his companions. He fiddled with the sleeves of his oversized dark green sweater with a bored look on his face, almost as if he knew what would happen next…

"Come on Abika, Water Gun won't hurt Eifie! If you won't get serious, I'll just have to beat you! Psychokinesis!" The girl, who they assumed was named Abika, laughed harshly and ignored the threat.

"Let's end this Upaa… Surf!" It was actually quite comical to see such a tiny pokémon use such a large attack like Surf. However, the most impressive part was that when the waves subsided… Eifie was knocked out.

"Abika and Upaa are the winners." The auburn-haired boy said unenthusiastically.

"Not fair!" the blond boy pouted as he recalled Eifie. "Why do you always win?"

"Because Rani," she explained patiently as she walked over and picked up her exuberant little pokémon, "we're better battlers than you." Rani was about to retort until the other boy cut him off.

"She's right. You're good at appeals, but if you ever want to make it to the Grand Festival, you have to improve your battling. Now get Doble out and try again. Abika, try using Booster this time instead." Abika nodded and pulled a monster ball off the belt of her skirt. Upaa, who sat on her head, looked excited to watch the upcoming match. Rani just continued to sulk.

"Some boyfriend you are Hiroshi…" Hiroshi sighed and readied himself to play referee again.

"I'm just trying to help love. Now, are you two ready?" Rani nodded, but Abika made a noise of contemplation. She tossed her monster ball in the air a few times before speaking up.

"You know, maybe we should see what they want first." She pointed at the Exalted, who watched the scene before them with rapt fascination. Rani and Hiroshi finally noticed their audience, though their reactions were exceedingly different. Hiroshi looked like he wanted someone to shoot him, while Rani looked like he'd just won the jackpot.

"Oh God, I can't believe it! You're Robert! And Harley and Shuu!" He squealed girlishly and glomped an unsuspecting Robert, causing Shuu to glare daggers at him. "Oh Robert, I'm your biggest fan!"

"Why me…?" Hiroshi muttered, causing Abika to laugh at his misfortune.

"And just as you finally convince him to give up his obsession, it walks right up to him. Tough luck." She glanced at the rest of the newcomers, noting what a good-looking bunch they were. She recognized three of them, as Rani had made her watch more contests than she cared to think about. She knew Harley was gayer than a maypole, so she figured that the two guys he was practically cuddling with were his boyfriends. The girl with the Nyasu outfit however…

'_She looks cute **and** single_.' With that thought in mind, she sauntered up to the giggling hybrid and put on a charming smile.

"Hey cutie. Looking for a good time?" As Luna's face turned five different shades of red, Jupetta-chan whispered to his lovers as he watched everything that was happening.

"Does this mean we aren't gonna get to the next cave right away?" Harley noted the fury in Shuu's eyes and the lust in Abika's…

"No, I don't think we are."


	15. Chapter 14

**Project G—Chapter fourteen (02-12-06)**

"Hey!" Shuu shouted angrily, yanking Rani off his boyfriend. "What do you think you're doing?" Rani was much too excited to let the angry boy phase him, and he instead glomped poor Shuu.

"Ahh! This is just way too sweet! My idol is here, and so are the two other hottest coordinators in all of Hoenn! Abika! Hiroshi! Isn't this just the coolest thing ever?" Abika was too busy flirting with a blushing Luna to pay him any attention, but Hiroshi scoffed in response.

"Why yes, it's wonderful. After six years of obsession, you finally agree to take down your twenty poster of him—"

"Twenty-seven," Rani interrupted, rubbing his cheek against Shuu's.

"_Whatever_. You finally took them down and put up a few pictures of _me_, your boyfriend of the past nine years and friend since we were babies, and now you meet him. At this point, you'll probably become obsessed all over again and I'll lose all leverage I once possessed. Yes, it's just splendid." Robert blinked at the sarcastic diatribe.

"Six years? That's when I started coordinating…"

"Yup!" Rani chirped, "I was watching the first contest in Kaina City with Hiroshi and Abika when we were thirteen. I'd been entering gym for the past three years, but I'd never won a single badge, so I decided to become a coordinator instead. And it was all because of you and your Yajiron! You were _so_ cool…" He trailed off with stars in his eyes, squeezing Shuu unknowing.

"So you know a lot about us then," Harley finally spoke up. Rani nodded with a grin.

"Yeah, tons! I—"

"Please," Hiroshi sighed, "don't get him started. If you do, we'll be here for five hours while you hear your life story. He's not lying when he says he knows a ton…" Somehow, Robert didn't doubt it.

"I see… Well, ah, Rani, correct?" Said boy's grin just widened even more. "I'm very pleased to meet you Rani. However, I must request that you release my boyfriend before he passes out from a lack of oxygen…" Rani blinked, but slowly released Shuu, who immediately took a deep breath.

"Boyfriend…? You haven't had a boyfriend since you broke up with him." He pointed to Harley, who was watching the scene with rapt fascination. This was certainly getting interesting…

"So what?" Shuu asked, his breath finally back. "You've had a boyfriend for almost as long as I've been alive. Shouldn't you being paying attention to _him_?"

"Yeah," Hiroshi piped in, "shouldn't you be paying attention to _me_?" Rani giggled and glomped his boyfriend. Everyone was beginning to suspect that it was something he did a lot.

"Aww, don't pout pookie! You know I only love you! I respect Robert, but you're the only one for me. I'm just surprised that there's something about him I didn't know…" Hiroshi's grumbles of _'Don't call me pookie'_ were more or less ignored.

"Looks like we're not the only dysfunctional ones," Noctus-chan murmured, causing the enthusiastic coordinator to turn his attention to the threesome.

"You know," he started, walking closer and regarding them curiously, "I might not know as much about Harley as I do about Robert, but I think I'd recognize two guys who are obviously his lovers… But I've definitely never seen you. You do kinda look like his pokémon though…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Hiroshi admonished, wishing that Abika wasn't too busy flirting so she could help him out. "Of course they're not—"

"I'm Jupetta-chan!" Hiroshi would have been upset for being cut off _yet again_, had he not have been flabbergasted by that enthusiastic greeting. "And this is Noctus-chan! We look like his pokémon because we _are_, silly!"

This, as was to be expected, resulted in a plethora of reactions. Noctus-chan glared at his lover, while Harley smacked his hand to his face. Robert and Shuu's jaws dropped. Hiroshi couldn't believe what he was hearing, and it clearly showed. Jupetta-chan simply didn't understand what he'd done wrong. And Rani let out the loudest squeal any of them had ever heard.

"Really? Oh, that's _sooooo_ cool! Are there any others like you? How'd it happen? Can you still attack? Can you change back into pokémon? Are you anatomically correct? Can—"

"Come on," Hiroshi shouted over his boyfriend's hyperactive questioning, "you don't really believe that, do you? Abika, will you tell him to get a clue already? …Abika?"

However, Abika was too busy getting a taste of Luna's tonsils to pay attention to anything else.

* * *

As the boys started talking about whatever it was they were discussing, Abika led Luna over to the trees where she'd been battling Rani. Luna, who still hadn't answered her question due to her vocal cords taking a sudden vacation, was blushing from head to toe. Abika decided that as cute as the bashful act was, she'd much rather get a response…

"Well?" Luna looked up at the brash trainer, her face looking like it could burn you if you touched it.

"W-well what?" Abika fought the urge to groan. She wasn't pretending to be shy for her friends, she really _was_ totally tongue-tied. Just her luck… But still, it could be fun.

"Come on babe, you know 'what.' There's no need to be shy… You _do_ like girls, right?" Abika had never called anyone's sexuality wrong, but she was still relived when she got a timid nod for a response. "Well there you go. I like girls, you like girls, I'm single, you're obviously single since you haven't slapped me yet… It's perfect. Unless you find me unattractive that is…"

"N-no! You're really pretty. It's just that…" Abika couldn't help but laugh. This girl must have been at _least_ fifteen. She was either very mature looking for her age, or she'd never had any experience with relationships. Jailbait or virgin, she didn't care. It was a major turn-on either way.

'_If I'm lucky, she'll turn out to be **both**…_'

"Okay, look. Why don't we start with names? I'm Abika, as you've probably heard. And you are…?"

"Luna." She didn't stutter, so they were making _some_ progress at least.

"Well Luna, that's a very lovely name. But I suppose it's no surprise, since you're a very lovely girl. How old are you?" Well, that was certainly a good question. She knew how old she was in Nyasu years, but somehow she knew that wasn't going to work…

"Uh, sixteen." Abika's grin relieved her immensely. It was obviously an acceptable answer. "Eep!" Judging by the hand currently inching up her skirt, maybe a little _too_ acceptable…

"Something wrong babe? This doesn't bother you does— Wait a minute…" There was something firmly wrapped around her wrist, preventing her from going any higher than Luna's thigh. But she could see both of her hands… She pulled her arm back and just stared at what was attached to it.

"…Abika?"

"Is that thing real?" Luna gulped audibly, nodding.

"Yeah…" Abika continued to stare for a few more moments.

"And I'm guessing the ears are too?" Another nod. "So… Then you're not just cosplaying as a Nyasu?"

"No…"

'_Oh great. Now what? I finally find someone who might possibly be destined for me, and not only do a turn into a stuttering, blushing fool, but I give away my secret too! I don't know anything about her! Other than that she's totally sexy… Ack! Bad Luna! Back on topic… Well, okay, I didn't know anything about the guys before I spilled the beans either, but still… I'm an idiot._'

Before she had a chance to berate herself any more, Abika started laughing again. Luna honestly had no idea if that was a good thing or not. Was this a "how amusing" laugh, or an "oh man, I'm gonna kill you now" laugh? When Abika, having a grip on her tail, slid her _other_ hand up to massage buttocks, she had her answer.

"That is _so_ incredibly sexy," Abika whispered sensually in Luna's eat, finding the fact that it wasn't just for cosplay a bigger turn on than her previous thoughts of jailbait. "Half pokémon, half human… I didn't think it was possible. However…" She paused to nip at one of the ears, causing Luna's blush to flare up for about the fiftieth time since the beginning of their conversation. "I'm very glad that it is. Are those guys with Harley like you? Are there any others?"

"Yeah, but there's just us as far as I know. It's a really long story…" Abika shrugged, continuing her groping. The lovely shade of red across the girl's face was making her hot…

"I'm not busy… Unless you'd rather do something a bit more fun…" Luna gazed up at her uncertainly, though there was a fair amount of curiosity in her eyes.

"What did you have in mind?" That was all the cue she needed.

"Oh, just a little something like this…"

With that, Abika leaned down and captured Luna's lips with her own. The hybrid's eyes widened, not believing what was happening. She was having her first kiss with a girl she'd met only five minutes ago… Yet, she couldn't find herself caring. Abika's lips were so soft, and her touch was so gentle…

'_What was it I thought last night? Strong and determined, pretty and exotic, intellectual and witty, right? She seems to have almost all of them… And this feels **sooooo** nice. I don't want to stop…_'

Luna's eyes slipped shut as she felt Abika's tongue at her lips, gently encouraging her to open her mouth. She readily did so, trying her hardest to match Abika's gentle probing of her mouth. She wasn't doing that bad of a job either, considering Abika let out a low moan. Both girls found themselves enjoying their game immensely…

"…Abika? Abika!"

Too bad the boys had to ruin all of their fun.

* * *

Abika reluctantly removed her tongue from Luna's warm mouth and turned to Hiroshi, though she left her hands where they were. It wasn't like this was the first time he'd screwed up her fun… He really had the _worst_ timing.

"Yes Hiro dear? Did you want something? Other than to bug me?" Hiroshi snorted, wondering what his friends had against his real name.

"Well, I _was_ going to ask you to knock some sense into my boyfriend, but I can see that you're _much_ too busy molesting a girl who you haven't even known for half an hour. I believe this is a record, even for you." Abika scowled, finally dropping her hands. Luna willed her tail to let go, wondering what he meant by that.

"I don't believe that's any of your business, now is it?" she hissed, her fists balling at her sides. Rani sighed heavily and turned to the newcomers, looking much more serious than seemed natural for him.

"I'm sorry you have to see this… They never usually fight, unless, well, you can see. Hiroshi kinda has a little problem with Abika's…"

"Promiscuity," Hiroshi filled in when Rani couldn't find the right word.

"No!" Rani exclaimed, his eyes widening. "That's not what I meant and you know it! Come on, just drop it, okay? I want to hear how these guys became humans." Hiroshi turned away from his friend and nodded curtly.

"All right. I suppose I should hear your explanation before I refuse to believe it…" Abika didn't say anything, not trusting herself to speak without cursing Hiroshi out. Luna didn't understand the hostility, but recognized the tense atmosphere nonetheless. With the hope that she could focus their attention on something else, she began her tale.

"Well, you see, it began a couple of months ago…"

"And then we ran into you guys… So here we are." Their attention had been refocused indeed. All of their tension and anger was replaced with wonder and excitement, and it clearly showed.

"That is _so_ cool!" Rani exclaimed, bouncing on his heels. "Isn't it cool guys?" Abika smirked and wrapped an arm around Luna's waist.

"Cool is an understatement my hyperactive friend. Incredibly remarkable and awe-inspiring comes a bit closer… Heh, so I was making out with a heroine. Guess I found quite the catch, didn't I babe?" Luna merely blushed in response, not at all used to all of the attention that the feisty blonde was giving her.

"That _is_ incredible," Hiroshi agreed, finally believing them after he'd seen the ice orb and the hybrid's necklaces. But how are you going to find the fire cave? It will take a long time to get to southern Houen if you have to walk…"

Well, that certainly got their attention. They hadn't thought about that… Not only did they not know where the next cave was, but it could take months just to get down to the right area! Sure, they'd had absurdly wonderful dumb luck so far, but could that really last forever? And even if it was doubtful, Duana and Kieran's luck could always change, and they could potentially get to the cave first. They'd be in trouble then…

Noticing the distressed looks donning the Exalted's faces, Abika picked a monster ball off her belt and enlarged it. Rani and Hiroshi looked at each other and nodded knowingly.

"Hey, don't you guys worry your pretty little heads. Just check _this_ out." She let go of Luna's waist and tossed the ball into the air. "Foodin, go!" Seconds later, the distinguished looking psychic pokémon materialized before his mistress.

"Foo," he called, bowing to her. She returned it and then turned to the Exalted.

"You like? Caught him as a Casey, and after he evolved into a Yungerer I temporarily traded Rani for his Kusaihana. We traded back and I gave him a sun stone I won in some contest in Jouto in return for helping me. I ended up with Foodin, and he got a Kireihana. Worked out good for both of us. Anyways, the point is, Foodin is really strong since I got him to his final stage. He can teleport us, all of us, down south. Then it won't take so long to find this cave of yours. What do you say?"

It almost seemed too good to be true. A powerful psychic pokémon to teleport them around, three more people to help them out… If Abika hadn't just had her tongue down Luna's throat, they probably would have thought it was a trap.

"You're sure you want to come with us?" Robert asked, concern evident in his voice. "It will be dangerous you know. You don't have to stay. You could just get us there and leave—"

"No she can't," Rani interrupted. Abika sighed and nodded.

"He's right. Foodin is strong, but he's not invincible. He can get us there, but nine people are a lot for one pokémon. It'll take a few days at least before he'll have the strength to teleport again. So once we're there, we're back on foot for a while. I remember a really rocky area in the south though… There's a good chance we'll find that cave around there. Besides, it's getting boring around here. I'm all up for an adventure, dangerous or not."

"And it'll be fun to fight evil," Rani added. "Especially with my idol!"

"And don't forget the fact that I'll be in the midst of a sexy gay couple, a sexy gay threesome, and a sexy Nyasu girl… My hormones demand that I come."

"Mine too!"

Hiroshi listened to his boyfriend and friend go back and forth, much to the amusement of the Exalted. He wasn't so sure about this… But they were the most important people in his life, and he wasn't about to let them walk into the face of danger without him.

"Okay then, why don't we get going instead of just talking about it?" Rani and Abika laughed, knowing that he was just as excited as they were. It wasn't every day you got the chance to help save the world after all…

"Yay, new friends!" Jupetta-chan cheered happily. "And we won't have to walk forever! Isn't this great Harley-sama?" Said coordinator nodded, kissing his little lover's cheek.

"Of course love." Truth be told, he was quite intrigued by these newcomers. Especially Abika. It wasn't often anyone other than himself called his pokémon sexy… She was all right in his book.

"Then it's settled," Abika announced. "Foodin will teleport us down south and we'll help you guys however we can. There's just one more thing…"

"What now?" Shuu asked, still cross at Rani's obsession with his boyfriend, and now even more pissed to know that he'd be coming along.

"It's a long way down there, and it'd be best if we travel to the next town before he teleports us. It's only half a day's walk away. It's about noon right now, so if we eat while we walk, we can get there by nightfall. We'll stay in town for the night and leave first thing in the morning. Any problems with that?" No problems were voiced, but there were a few questions…

"We don't have anything to eat as we walk," Harley pointed out.

"We have plenty of rice balls," Hiroshi informed them. "We weren't planning on going back to town so soon, so we brought extras."

"Okay then," Noctus-chan spoke up, "why do we have to walk to town if it's not that far away? What will a few less miles matter?" Abika was impressed by his insight and sent a wink his way.

"Leave it to a pokémon to call my motives… It won't make much of a difference at all actually. Except that the next town is our hometown. And I do believe that my dear sister would kill me if I didn't inform her of my future role in saving the world. Now, shall we be off?" Not finding any more questions, everyone nodded. After everything was gathered and the rice balls were passed out, the Exalted were off…

And this time, they had reinforcements.


	16. Chapter 15

**Project G—Chapter fifteen (09-17-06)**

"So, how long have you guys been together?" Abika asked Harley from her place beside Luna.

"Well… Only a few days actually. I got with Jupetta-chan before we got to the ice cave and Noctus-chan _in_ the cave… I've always loved them though, even as pokémon. I probably would've gotten with them sooner, but seeing Robert again after a few years of not talking had me confused. It was obvious he was falling for Shuu though, so I took my chances. And I'm glad I did." Jupetta-chan blushed cutely and giggled at his lover's sweet words. Noctus-chan looked flustered, but tried his best took look uninterested at the humans' conversation.

Abika smiled at the cute scene, pulling Luna closer to her. The hybrid wished that they could be alone again so that she could get some answers, but Abika had been chatting with Harley and his pokémon ever since they'd started out. She desperately wanted to know the current state of their relationship… Did this mean they were girlfriends? Just friends? Not even that? She was so confused… It wasn't as if one kiss, no matter how hot and wonderful it had been, was enough to spell out true love, but surely, it must mean _something_. And even if it didn't, she'd _kill_ to have those lips on her again…

"God, you guys are cute together. I've seen a lot of different relationships since I started traveling, hell, my two best friends are together, but you guys… You take the cake. Can't honestly say I've met anyone who's in love with their pokémon, whether they're half-human or not. It's pretty cool." Harley didn't know what to say to that. His confusion obviously showed, and she continued. "You know, because you're not afraid to do what your heart tells you, and all that jazz. You said, '_Screw you_!' to conventional standards and made your own destiny. Kinda reminds me of a romance novel… Just with more interesting characters."

Harley smiled at her honesty, as well as her interest. Most girls he knew were like Kamo-chan and would call his lovelies scary. And even those who didn't probably wouldn't be that keen to support a human-pokémon relationship. She was different though… She seemed very open to just about anything. She certainly hadn't had any problems with Luna turning out to be a hybrid after all.

"Thanks… Not many people feel that way." Abika shrugged, though she was smiling openly.

"No biggie. Most people are idiots anyways, so I usually ignore them. Rani and Hiroshi are enough for me." She looked ahead to see Rani eagerly discussing something or other with Robert, while Shuu and Hiroshi glared at the pair. "Though sometimes I think they just like to generate angst for themselves… But enough about me, huh? Do you have any other pokémon? Anyone you've been keeping a secret from the contest scene?" Harley shook his head, a thoughtful look on his face.

"No, just Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan. They've been my only pokémon since I was ten and I never wanted any more. But..." Two certain hybrids didn't like the sound of that '_but_.' "Lately, I've been thinking about getting a cute little Ariados!"

Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan honestly hoped he was joking.

* * *

Sure enough, the sun was just beginning to set by the time they reached town. Some of them, namely Shuu and Hiroshi, were glad finally to arrive, if only to keep their boyfriends from talking to each other anymore. Abika led them all at that point, explaining that they were headed towards her house. Rani and Hiroshi didn't live with their parents anymore, so it wasn't imperative that they be informed of the trip they were about to take. Abika still stayed with her family though, and she thought her sister should know so that she could inform her parents once they got back from their business trip.

Once they reached her house, they learned something about her none of them ever would have guessed.

"It's huge!" Luna gasped.

"It's as big as Robert's or mine…" Having lived in Harley's mansion of a home most of their lives, Noctus-chan and Jupetta-chan could whole-heartily agree.

"Oh, well, you know. My family has always had a lot of money. They bought this chunk of land and had the house built when I was a toddler. Been living here ever since. Now if you'll follow me…" She started to lead them inside when Robert suddenly stopped. Abika turned around to see what was keeping him and had to suppress a sigh when she saw him gazing at the nameplate.

"Palazzo. As in, the Palazzo family that my family constantly complain about encroaching upon their territory? The same Palazzo family that's the third wealthiest family in all of Houen?" Abika nodded wearily, not pleased by her secret getting out.

"Yeah, that's right. Right after Harley's family, and yours too. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that _your_ parents were so pissed at _mine_, we probably would have met when we were kids. And if it weren't for my sister, I wouldn't even have brought you here to find it out… But whatever. Let's just forget about it, okay? It's no big deal…" Everyone nodded, fully aware that she didn't want to talk about it. The Exalted all made notes to see what Robert and Harley knew about it later.

Abika finally led them inside, her arm still around Luna's waist, and the others following close behind. The Nyasu hybrid and Shuu were the only ones who had never been in a house that was—for all intent purposes—a mansion, and it showed. Robert had never seen his boyfriend's eyes widen that much.

'_Wait until you see **my** home, love. If all goes well, it will be **yours** someday too…_'

"Who're they?" Abika looked at the picture hanging on the wall that Luna had pointed to and smiled.

"That's the Palazzo family portrait. The blond man is my father and the silver-haired woman is my mother. The guy with the blue hair is Kosa-nii-san. He moved to Sekiei a long time ago and I don't see him that often… Anyways, obviously that girl is me, and the other one is—"

"Me." The Exalted quickly turned to face the newcomer, who was clearly Abika's sister. It _was_ rather obvious. In fact, if it weren't for her blue eyes, long hair, and whiter ensemble, she'd look exactly like Abika.

"—my twin sister, Abira. Hello nee-san. These are my new friends. We just stopped here to tell you we'll be gone for a while. Tell mom and dad when they get back, all right?" Abira ignored the question, much to the confusion of everyone except those who knew her. Rani and Hiroshi, who both knew what was coming, hoped that there would be no bloodshed.

"…She your new girlfriend?" Abika's grip on Luna's side tightened, causing the hybrid to glance at her questioningly.

"I just met her today nee-san. I wouldn't go quite that far yet." The sneer on Abira's face really didn't suit her pretty face they determined.

"That's never stopped you before."

"Get off it!" Abika yelled, startling everyone but her sister and friends. "You have _no_ right to judge what I do and who I do it with! What would your _girlfriend_ think if she knew how obsessed you are with your _little sister_?"

"Leave Atsumi out of this," she hissed. The hybrids swore the temperature in the room had dropped at least ten degrees since they entered the house. "You're the one that started whoring yourself out to any pretty girl who came along after I started dating her. It's not _my_ fault you can't handle rejection."

"I— You—! _Whatever_. Just tell mom and dad. If the Fiores or the Kasimiros call, tell them Rani and Hiroshi are with me. Have fun with your girlfriend nee-san, and leave me and _my_ girlfriend the hell alone. See ya." Abika turned on her heel the best she could with Luna still at her hip and stalked out of her house, Rani and Hiroshi following quickly. The rest were right behind them, not wanting to be left alone with a ticked-off woman. Hell hath no fury indeed.

Abika didn't stop until they were past the property line and well into the woods. It was probably a good thing that they'd already had everything they'd need with them from their earlier trip to the woods, as it had obviously been a doomed meeting to begin with. Encounters between Abira and Abika's latest belle _never_ went well.

"Abika…" Luna hadn't dared to speak up before the blonde had stopped, but now she had a million questions and the perfect opportunity to ask them. "Back there… What happened? And did you mean what you said about me?" Abika smiled wearily and finally removed her arm from around Luna, instead brushing her knuckles against the hybrid's cheek affectionately.

"My sister… She used to, well, _we_ used to have something. Something most sisters don't have, you know? Then I came home one day and she had her tongue down this chick's throat… Tch, whatever; it's her loss and your gain, right babe? Sure, I meant what I said. If you want to be my girlfriend, hey, your wish is my command!"

Hiroshi opened his mouth to say something, but a quick glance from Rani made him keep quiet. He'd been planning on pointing out that Abika had gone though countless girlfriends since then, but Luna looked _so happy_ by her pretty words…

'_Who knows, maybe it'll work out this time. As long as Abika doesn't get as possessive as she does with the other girls, it could be just fine. And we **will** be busy helping save the world after all…_'

"Oh… Yes, of course! I'll be your girlfriend!" And as Abika and Luna's lips met in a sweet kiss, Rani and Hiroshi could only wish their friend the best of luck.

* * *

"Okay, according to the map, we should be right around the mountain range that the fire cave should be in… And yes, I have the map the right way!" Kieran wisely kept his mouth shut. "We should just turn this corner, and— Oh."

"Great," Kieran sighed, looking at the miles of rocky terrain that lay before them, "just fucking _great_. We're going to be looking for that dammed cave forever…" Duana tried her very hardest to keep smiling. If she didn't stay positive, _no one_ would.

"Well, on the bright side, Luna and her friends should have a hard time finding it too!" Kieran rolled his eyes and headed towards the mountains, not bothering to dignify her with a response. Duana shrugged and quickly followed him.

Neither noticed the two sets of eyes watching them intently from the trees.

* * *

"Okay, so everyone hold hands so Foodin won't leave anyone behind, okay? Cause after this, it'll be at least three days before he'll be able to teleport more than a few feet. So you're stuck here if you don't hang on, and no one wants that, now do they?" The answer, of course, was '_no_', so they quickly joined hands. Foodin, Abika, Luna, Hiroshi, Rani, Robert, Shuu, Jupetta-chan, Noctus-chan, Harley, and back to Foodin made ten in a circle. Hiroshi and Shuu weren't entirely pleased with the order, but they didn't say anything.

"Foodin, foo."

"He's ready guys, so everyone just stay calm and let him do his thing. It'll seem weird, just it won't hurt or anything. Well, if you get motion sickness easily you might feel a little queasy, but it won't _hurt_." This didn't do a _thing_ to comfort Shuu. "Well, everyone hold on tight… Do it Foodin, teleport to the Mishiro Mountains!"

* * *

"I feel it big sister. They're coming." She didn't look at her little sister. It didn't matter though, as the younger girl didn't look up as she said it anyway.

"I know. It won't be long now. We'll let the Exalted lead us to the fire orb, then take _both_ orbs from them. As long as those imbeciles don't ruin things for us, it'll run like clockwork. You know your mission, correct Momoiro?" The little pink haired girl nodded solemnly.

"Yes big sister."

"Good."

* * *

"I'm never listening to you _ever_ _again_." Abika had the decency to _pretend_ to be sorry at least.

"Hey, I warned you… But man, I didn't know you got motion sickness _that_ easily." Shuu didn't respond, seeing as at that moment he leaned back in the bush and threw up the rest of his earlier lunch. Robert rubbed his back comfortingly, not caring that bits of regurgitated rice had splattered his shoes. If _that_ wasn't true love, Abika didn't know what was.

Since it was getting dark, the rest had set up camp for the night, and Harley and his pokémon were currently cooking ramen. Rani, Hiroshi, and Luna were taking turns asking each other questions—the boys more about their mission and Luna more about Abika. Shuu, Robert, and Abika were far enough away that the younger boy couldn't smell the food and the older two couldn't hear—especially over Shuu's retching.

So far, she'd learned that yes, Abika and Abira had been in an incestuous relationship about a year ago, with only themselves, their older brother, Rani, and Hiroshi knowing. Abira was a pokémon researcher like Hiroshi, and her quest for knowledge had brought her to Natsukan Island in the Orange Archipelago, where she'd met Atsumi. Abira had kept her resulting infidelity from her twin until the day Atsumi had visited and they'd been caught red-handed.

Abika had immediately had Foodin teleport her to Kuchiba City in Sekiei and she'd gone straight to her brother. Whatever he'd said to her, she ended up coming home a week later with a young blue-haired girl with a Metamon she'd met down there on her arm. Ever since then, she'd had more girlfriends—most of them much younger than she was—then either of them could count. And Abira, despite being the unfaithful partner in the first place, had disliked her sister's new habit the most.

Rani hadn't wanted to tell her the last part, but Luna had demanded to know. When Hiroshi admitted that most of the girls left her because Abika was far too possessive for their tastes, she stopped being worried. She could deal with possessiveness. Really, it didn't sound _that_ bad.

They finished their story just as the girl in question returned to camp.

"Robert insisted that I came back, spend time with my girlfriend, and eat. Something about Shuu being fine soon and Harley being the greatest cook in all of Houen." Harley flushed slightly at that, at the same time smiling broadly at his friend's compliment.

"Well, you're in luck, because it's finished. Everyone gather round!"

Everyone ate and chatted, taking the free time to get to know each other more. Abika's past relationships, of course, were tactfully ignored. About fifteen minutes later Robert and Shuu came back, the younger coordinator feeling better, but still feeling too shaky to glare properly at Rani when he welcomed Robert back a _bit_ too enthusiastically. He merely sat next to Jupetta-chan and dutifully drank some of the meal's broth at Robert's command. If it would _really_ make him feel better, then he'd do _anything_.

"Are you feeling better now Shuu?" Jupetta-chan asked while the others were talking about something that he found _dreadfully_ boring. Shuu shrugged, sipping his broth and hoping Robert was right.

"For the most part. My stomach feels better, but I feel a little lightheaded. …Though I'd probably feel better if _he_ wasn't staring at my boyfriend." Jupetta-chan averted his gaze momentarily, and sure enough, Rani was openly staring at Robert. You could almost see the stars in his eyes.

"Don't worry about it. Robert loves you and Rani loves Hiroshi. They wouldn't do that to you. You just have to have faith, you know?" It was hard not to believe those bright red eyes…

Shuu suddenly realized that he'd been wrong about Jupetta-chan. Just because he didn't get along with Harley didn't mean he couldn't get along with his pokémon. And Jupetta-chan wasn't the pest Shuu had first thought him to be; in fact, he was adjusting to human life much better than Shuu was sure _he_ could adjust to being a pokémon. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to make a new friend…

"Jupetta-chan?" Said hybrid smiled brightly, and Shuu made his decision.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Jupetta-chan giggled and nodded.

"No problem!"

* * *

They finally got to sleep two hours later, Shuu feeling much better physically, mentally, _and_ emotionally. It was hard _not_ to, knowing that he had a new friend _and_ having his boyfriend holding him close. Harley and his lovers had their own spot, as did the remaining two couples. Luna had never slept in someone's arms before, but she found that she wouldn't give it up for _anything_.

'_How sweet_,' the mysterious girl from before thought sarcastically. Even in the pale moonlight, her purple hair was rather hard to miss, even hidden as well as she was in the tree. Her purple ears and tail were hard to overlook too. She watched the group sleep intently, not averting her gaze even once a familiar weight suddenly appeared beside her.

"The scientists are now on the wrong trail big sister. There is no chance of them find the cave before the Exalted." The older girl nodded approvingly.

"Good. Now get to sleep Momoiro. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Momoiro, who looked much like her older sister other than her hair, ears, and tail being pink rather than purple, said nothing. She obediently curled up in her sister's lap and was asleep in a few minutes. All the while, the older girl watched.

'_It won't be long now. We'll have those orbs, and I'll save us Momoiro. I swear it_.'


End file.
